FOLEY - On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the Gateway Initiative team presented five Vulcan employees with journeyman status through its registered apprenticeship program with the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship and the Department of Labor. The status was awarded after the employees successfully completed the Vulcan Metal Stampings Apprentice Program.

Currently there are 18 businesses registered in formal apprenticeship programs through the Gateway Initiative. Vulcan, Inc., the first advanced manufacturing company participating in the program, is now the first company in the region with registered journey workers through the program.

The employees honored were Rodney Sanders, stamping press operator; Phillip Gingras, tool & die maker; Paul Zaborny, tool & die maker; John Moore, tool & die maker; and Edward Anglin, stamping press operator. To receive journeyman status, apprentices must show comprehensive and complete competency in all of the skills necessary for mastering a position as well as required educational competencies.

“We’re very proud of their accomplishments, we’re very proud to have been able to partner with the Chamber to make this happen,” said Jennifer Minto, human resource manager at Vulcan, Inc. “It gives our employees a really great opportunity to expand their knowledge base and become better employees and better people. It’s something that they will use for years to come at Vulcan, but even if they decide to move into other arenas in their life it’s something that will always benefit them from a training and development standpoint.”

The Gateway Initiative began in 2018. A collaborative effort between the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and Coastal Alabama Business Chamber to increase and improve the workforce in the area, the team has worked to bring apprenticeships to benefit the workforce and livelihood of the community.

“We are very pleased to have Vulcan as the shining example taking advantage of our apprenticeship sponsorship,” said Sally Westendorf of the Gateway Initiative. “For most businesses, there are major incentives for implementing the apprenticeship model, including structured succession planning and training coupled with the tax incentives offered by the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship. For Vulcan, the program is in place for the sheer value to their employee development program as they are an employee-owned company not eligible for tax incentives.”

To learn more about the Gateway Initiative, check out their website at https://gatewayinitiative.com.