Warwick, R.I. – July 9, 2012 – Atrion Networking Corporation, a leading IT services provider, today announced that it has been nominated as one of the National Registered Apprenticeship System’s “Trailblazers and Innovators” for their Internetworking Associate Apprenticeship Program. Atrion is being recognized for its landmark one-year intensive program in which candidates learn both the practical and theoretical aspects of a new trade in the IT industry.
This summer, the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) celebrates the 75th anniversary of the passage of the Fitzgerald Act – the 1937 legislation that established the National Apprenticeship System – with a national summit on Registered Apprenticeship. The event, “Out-Educate. Out-Build. Out-Innovate,” will be held on August 1st in the US Department of Labor’s Great Hall in Washington, D.C. and will serve to both recognize the rich history of Registered Apprenticeship over the past 75 years and highlight the role it will play in training US workers in the 21st century.
Under the US Department of Labor and Training, the Registered Apprenticeship program has almost 24,000 participating organizations providing education and training for approximately 400,000 apprentices in emerging and high-growth sectors such as energy conservation, health care and information technology, in addition to traditional industries such as manufacturing and construction.
The event will feature nominated programs, practices, strategies, and partnerships that demonstrate a significant impact on the history of Registered Apprenticeship and aligns with the ACA’s shared vision for 21st Century Registered Apprenticeship. Nominations for Trailblazers and Innovators were based on demonstrable programs that met the following characteristics:
- Replicable (not based on unique circumstances or idiosyncratic factors)
- Scalable (amenable to growth and expansion)
- Sustainable (partnerships based on mutual benefits and not completely dependent upon grant funding)
- Strong outcomes related to good jobs and sustainable careers (e.g., high completion rates; strong completion or journey-level wages, equitable results across demographic groups)
In addition, the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship identified the following four broad goals for 21st Century Registered Apprenticeship. Programs, practices, strategies, or partnerships that meet the above general criteria of replication, scalability, sustainability, etc., also embody at least one of these four goals:
- Goal 1: An increasing number of businesses and additional industries will use and reap the advantages of the Registered Apprenticeship model.
- Goal 2: Americans will seek and find Registered Apprenticeship as a valuable postsecondary pathway to rewarding careers.
- Goal 3: Diverse populations in the US workforce will have access to growing opportunities in Registered Apprenticeship.
- Goal 4: Public policy will increasingly reflect the power and value of Registered Apprenticeship to address economic and workforce development challenges.
“By being nominated as one of the National Registered Apprenticeship System’s Trailblazers and Innovators, Atrion joins an elite number of Registered Apprenticeship organizations,” said Jamie Boughman, Apprentice Program Manager at Atrion. “We are extremely proud to be recognized for the impact our program has had on the emerging technology field and the incoming talent that will head up the industries of tomorrow.”
About Atrion’s Apprentice Program:
The Internetworking Associate Apprentice Program is a combination of on-the-job learning and related classroom instruction in which candidates learn both the practical and theoretical aspects of a new trade in the IT industry. In the paid, one-year intensive program, apprentices acquire technical skills in areas including Microsoft Server Foundations, Cisco Unified Communications, and Routing and Switching concepts. This compulsory knowledge is gained using a mix of instructor focused training, hands-on lab work, self-study, on-the-job learning and technical challenges. The Apprentice program also highlights the importance of customer service, and people skills acquired through customized training.
Atrion targets high performing job applicants from a variety of backgrounds, industries and levels of experience to join their team. Candidates must illustrate their technical passion, aptitude and their overall exceptional customer service skills. Atrion's apprentices attain industry recognized certifications in multiple areas of advanced technology, while they develop leadership and well-rounded professional skills. Atrion has partnered with the RI Department of Labor & Training as well as the RI State Apprenticeship Council.