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Every industrial facility needs people to keep all of the different systems running so that the site can fulfill its mission of making products that are wanted and needed.
But in this region it can be hard to find the people with the skills to perform those maintenance mechanic jobs. The obvious answer is to train people so that they have the needed skills, but that can be a big task to take on.
That is what makes a new partnership between Iowa Central Community College and Elanco, a Fort Dodge manufacturer of vaccines and medicines that veterinarians depend on, so exciting.
In the program announced last week, three men will be paid by Elanco while completing a three-year apprenticeship that will prepare them for future positions as maintenance mechanics at the big Elanco research and production facility on the northwest side of Fort Dodge.
The apprentices will split their time between the classrooms and shops of the Iowa Central campus and the Elanco facility.
At Elanco, they will rotate through various elements of the facility such as the boiler room, the electrical equipment room, and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning department. They will spend six months in each area, learning the ins and outs of how it functions.
At the end of the apprenticeship, they will have a technical certificate in industrial maintenance and a job offer from Elanco.
This is considered a pilot program that includes just three apprentices. We hope that it is a success and becomes an ongoing program.
It took a year and a half of work by college and company leaders to create the program. They should be congratulated for devising an innovative way to meet a workforce need.
It seems like there should be opportunities to create similar apprenticeships to train people in other skills that are in demand. We urge leaders in education and business to explore the possibilities.
And we wish the three new Elanco apprentices the best of luck as they begin their careers.