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Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Registered Apprenticeship Program
Impact Stories

Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Registered Apprenticeship Program

Funder

U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration

Timeline

October 2015 – September 2020

Sector

Advanced Manufacturing

Locations

California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin

Key Partners

Chicago Federation of Labor Workforce and Community Initiative, Keystone Development Partnership, Labor Institute for Training, Michigan Workforce Development Institute, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, Working for America Institute of the AFL-CIO

Key Objectives

* Register 1,450 new apprentices, 40% from underrepresented populations * Establish 150 employer sponsors

Learn More About Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning in Advanced Manufacturing
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In today’s advanced manufacturing economy, most production workers, including those on the front lines, need more than the basic skills that were sufficient for factory work in previous decades.

To meet strict quality and safety standards, modern manufacturers need workers with a good deal of expertise. But experienced employees are aging out of the labor market and new talent is scarce. Employers often have a hard time finding skilled young workers who can help grow this critical sector of the U.S. economy.

The Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Apprenticeship fulfills that demand for labor by helping employers and unions attract and train people to work in advanced manufacturing facilities.

What Is the IMT?

A nationally recognized apprenticeship registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the IMT is hybrid training program in which participants acquire knowledge and skills that are essential in advanced manufacturing environments. Workers who complete the 18-month or 3,000-hour apprenticeship will learn to do the following:

  • Set up, operate, monitor, and control production equipment
  • Help improve manufacturing processes and schedules to meet customer requirements
  • Understand manufacturing as an integrated business system made up of multiple disciplines, processes, and stakeholders
  • Efficiently and safely manage time and materials

IMT graduates are prepared to work in settings as diverse as food processing plants, foundries, plastics production facilities, and biomedical plants.

Visit JFF's Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning
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Project Progress

Since 2015, JFF has enrolled 900 IMT apprentices at an average starting wage of $18.50 an hour. By the end of the 18-month apprenticeship, the average hourly wage increases to $25.

In 2020, a return on investment study of the IMT program showed that every dollar an employer sponsor invested in the program yielded a return of $1.48.

Work With Us

Find out more about partnering with JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning
Employer: Stacey Rose, Kroger, Senior Manufacturing HR & Leader Relations Manager
JFF · Stacey Rose, The Kroger Co.
Participant: Brandi Dunham (first graduate of IMT apprenticeship program), Hayes Performance Systems
JFF · Brandi Dunham, Hayes Performance Systems