{"id":211214,"date":"2024-11-06T12:41:41","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/?p=211214"},"modified":"2024-11-06T12:41:41","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:41:41","slug":"montclair-launches-njs-first-public-university-facilities-apprenticeship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/2024\/11\/06\/montclair-launches-njs-first-public-university-facilities-apprenticeship-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Montclair Launches NJ&#8217;s First Public University Facilities Apprenticeship Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ÌÇÐÄvlog has launched New Jersey\u2019s first public university facilities apprenticeship program, offering employees specialized training in plumbing, electrical and HVAC trades. This groundbreaking initiative supports career advancement for internal staff and establishes a pipeline of skilled workers ready and prepared for new opportunities at the University.<\/p>\n<p>This apprenticeship initiative reflects Montclair\u2019s broader mission to support both academic and professional development by offering diverse pathways for learning and career advancement, setting a precedent for facilities workforce training across the state.<\/p>\n<p>Montclair\u2019s first apprentices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Daniel Miller, Plumber track<\/li>\n<li>Jhoan Nogueira, HVAC track<\/li>\n<li>David Lobafaro, HVAC track<\/li>\n<li>Kevin Rizzo, Electrician track<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The apprentices come from diverse backgrounds within the University\u2019s Facilities Department, including groundskeeping, building maintenance and mechanical work. Each expressed a strong desire to gain the skills needed to transition into the trades, says Training and Development Manager Shakira Jackson.<\/p>\n<p>Exemplifying their goals, Miller has been with Montclair for nearly 20 years. Starting his journey as a moving service worker, Miller has always been passionate about becoming a plumber. Miller is the recipient of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/our-services\/facilities-training\/\">John W. Dennis Award<\/a>, which honors an employee who has demonstrated exceptional abilities to lead, serve, inspire and collaborate with broad impact.<\/p>\n<p>The apprentices each shared that they appreciated the opportunity to advance and learn new skills. \u201cI find joy in repairing, troubleshooting and completing tasks,&#8221; said Rizzo. Nogueira, a senior repairer in HVAC operations, began studying on his own and looks forward to earning his HVAC license through the program.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At Montclair, we\u2019re constantly innovating to create distinct pathways for the learners of tomorrow. We take our commitment to education, and credentialing, very seriously. And it extends to every part of the University. I\u2019m really excited to see this great learning program embedded within our Facilities operations as it exemplifies this mindset,\u201d says President Jonathan Koppell.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"responsive-image-holder wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/facilities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2024\/11\/Facilities_Mentors.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/facilities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/57\/2024\/11\/Facilities_Mentors.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"A set of four photos showing facilities apprentices with their mentor\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apprentices and their mentors, clockwise: Daniel Miller and Patrick Hickey; Jhoan Nogueira and Kevin Johnson; Keith Benjamin and David Lobafaro; Kevin Rizzo and Kevin Lepore. (Photos by Mike Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The apprentices will attend evening technical classes at Passaic County Technical Institute while working on campus during the day. They will be mentored by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Patrick Hickey, Assistant Supervisor Building Repairs, Plumbing Services<\/li>\n<li>Kevin Johnson, Supervisor Building Repairs II, Mechanical Maintenance<\/li>\n<li>Keith Benjamin, Mechanical Equipment Specialist, HVAC Operations<\/li>\n<li>Kevin Lepore, Building Management Services Specialist 3, Electrical Services Supervisor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After completing the four-year program, the apprentices will be eligible to earn Journeyman status, a nationally recognized certification in their respective trades.<\/p>\n<p>Vice President for University Facilities Shawn Connolly says Montclair was eager to launch the program to ensure a steady supply of skilled workers as veteran employees retire. \u201cThis program aligns with the University\u2019s mission to support both academic and professional growth,\u201d Connolly says.<\/p>\n<p>The apprentices are affiliated with the International Federation of Professional &amp; Technical Engineers bargaining unit. Montclair\u2019s program is registered through the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about the ÌÇÐÄvlog <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/university-facilities-apprenticeship\/\">Facilities Apprenticeship Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ÌÇÐÄvlog has launched New Jersey\u2019s first public university facilities apprenticeship program, offering employees specialized training in plumbing, electrical and HVAC trades. This groundbreaking initiative supports career advancement for internal staff and establishes a pipeline of skilled workers ready and prepared for new opportunities at the University. This apprenticeship initiative reflects Montclair\u2019s broader mission [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":211216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-161_facilities-staff-news-events","category-25_facilities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211217,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211214\/revisions\/211217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/facilities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}