The National Corn to Ethanol Research Center located at SIUE’s University Park, better known as NCERC, is now taking applications for bio-refinery apprentices.
The apprentice program is 18 months long and will prepare students for a career in the field of process operations.
Apprentices who complete the program will be eligible for jobs in various settings such as biofuels processing/bioprocessing, petroleum refining, food/beverage manufacturing, and chemical production.
Sarah Ray, a work-based learning coordinator for Madison County Employment and Training said, “Apprentices will be hired through NCERC and they will receive progressive wages throughout the course of the program.” The starting salary is $12 an hour and goes up to $14.
Being an apprentice has many benefits.
“Students are not shelling out money to sit in class,” Ray said. “They will have on-the-job training with a real company all the while building their resume”
Lewis and Clark Community College will be teaching students in the program a total of six courses covering 16 credit hours. This will be done through the Lewis and Clark Community College Process Operations Technology program, PTEC.
Students will leave the apprenticeship with a variety of certificates in areas such as Bioprocess Operations, Siemens SIMIT training, safety trainings, as well as a national credential as a Refinery Operator Journeyman.
The apprenticeship opportunity is a win-win for students and for NCERC. Outside of the classroom, aspiring journeymen technicians will receive 2,000 hours of hands-on work experience within NCERC’s plant at SIUE, working on various bioprocessing projects.
This helps to ensure that NCERC has valuable employees while future generations of process operators can learn the trade. Ray said, “NCERC is always looking for trained people to work for them.”
The combination of tactile and observational learning methods promotes a high level of competency that upon completion of the program, will provide the journeymen with the necessary skills and proficiencies, as well as the certification they need, to become a highly valuable addition to the industry.
As technologies evolve, the national demand for skilled technicians and technically-trained management is also expected to increase.
In order to apply to become an apprentice, applicants must be WIOA-eligible. WIOA is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, an act that was put into place in order to train workers in skilled manufacturing and related fields.
Apprentices who are WIOA-qualified will be granted tuition money for their apprenticeship.
If interested in the bio-refinery apprenticeship, contact Rebecca Marshall of Madison County Employment and Training at remarshal@co.madison.il.us or call her at 618-296-4532.