Ed Bisig, Director of Human Resources for Fives Machining Systems, attended the summit, joining 150 employers, labor leaders, foundations, non-profits, educators and tech innovators from across America who are equipping workers with the skills they need to advance. Bisig participated in the Apprenticeships working group where he shared ideas on ways to accelerate apprenticeship programs across the country, as well as broaden their reach into non-traditional fields such as healthcare.

“I was very honored to participate with this group of leaders at the Upskill Summit and believe that we achieved real progress by sharing best practices toward the goals of improving career opportunities and earning power for skilled and semi-skilled workers,” said Bisig.

Since 2005, Fives Machining Systems, Inc. has graduated 13 apprentices and has another 11 currently in the program, seven of which will graduate in 2015. The apprentices receive up to four years of on-the-job training in addition to a rigorous educational requirement.  The company’s investment in each apprentice is greater than $200,000. Fives Giddings & Lewis (Fond du Lac, WI) partners with Moraine Park Technical College for their educational component, and Fives Cincinnati (Hebron, KY) works with Gateway Community and Technical College.

Upon graduation, these employees transition to a role at Fives with strong knowledge and experience in high-tech manufacturing, but without the burden of student loans. Participants can also go on to earn four-year college degrees with full tuition assistance. The program has been featured on the NBC Nightly News and in numerous business publication articles.

The current apprenticeship programs at Fives Machining Systems, Inc. continue a long and successful tradition. For example Fives Giddings & Lewis had the first program for machinists in the state of Wisconsin. Also, the program at Fives Cincinnati was the first to offer an apprentice program for advanced manufacturing in Northern Kentucky, and this program has since been shared with other regional manufacturers.

Fives also helped design a High School Ambassador program that exposes students to advanced manufacturing, and it sits on several regional workforce development boards.

The White House will announce new commitments being made by public and private partners in response to the call for action from the President. For additional information about us visit fivesgroup.com or the dedicated Metal Cutting | Composites website. For more information on the White House Upskill Initiative visit www.whitehouse.gov.