Current Mentoring News

Congratulations! To the Apprentices, Mentors, and Journeyworkers of Local 9 for raising the retention rate by approximately 9% through mentoring. The success of the Mentoring Program of Local 9 is a reflection of each member's dedication to the CRAFT. The Mentoring Program is promoting excellence in apprenticeship and yielding the benefit of a substantial savings in training dollars.

The State of Michigan has adopted the American Collegiate Test and ACT WorkKeys to gauge the college preparedness of high school students. ACT WorkKeys is profiling the IMI National Curriculum used by the Training Center to establish the validated level of competency required to complete the curriculum. Intermediate School Districts and the Local 9 Training Center will be "speaking the same language" for entrance requirements, for the first time.

As you will recall, each Local 9 member received an Associates of Applied Science Degree survey. A proposal was made June 1, 2006 to the Michigan Occupational Deans Administrative Council, which represents the 28 Community Colleges of MI, to articulate 32 credits for Journeyworker status. The response was very positive and the IMI National Curriculum is in the first stages of the articulation process.

Thank you for all the referrals received by the Training Center! We’re looking forward to giving out BAC Local 9 coats to Journeyworkers who refer applicants that become BAT Certified Apprentices.

by:   Howard Hipes