WEST CHESTER, Ohio, Oct. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local Lodge 1943 announced during Manufacturing Week the official launch of a new apprenticeship program at AK Steel Middletown Works. The IAM/AK Steel Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship standards were approved by the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services. The program gives union production employees the opportunity to train to become fully accredited journeymen in Maintenance Mechanics as Maintenance Technicians through classroom work as well as on the job training.
Thirty AK Steel employees recently began this first new 18-month program at Middletown Works. The apprenticeship program includes job training with the Mobile Maintenance Department, and related instruction from hourly employees who have been certified as instructors and are experts in pipefitting, hydraulics, welding and electrical work. Following completion of the program, these 30 employees will then earn state certification (that is also nationally recognized) as journeymen in Maintenance Mechanics and will be eligible to work in maintenance at AK Steel Middletown Works. This new program is part of a growing trend for industrial unions and their employers to meet the challenges for workforce training.
“We are proud to partner with the IAM Local Lodge to offer this important new way to help meet employee development and business needs today and for the future,” said Roger K. Newport, AK Steel Chief Executive Officer. “As the only North American producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, AK Steel is focused on providing these advanced employee training programs in order to meet our customers’ needs to deliver innovative new products.”
Neil Douglas, IAM Local Lodge 1943 President and Directing Business Representative said, “Our goal is to continue this joint program for decades down the road to help employees gain new skills, and to invest in developing a more highly trained workforce. I think it’s going to give our local, our membership, and the company an advantage in our industry.”
The Ohio AFL-CIO and the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute supported IAM and AK Steel to register their apprenticeship and provided resources for program development.
AK Steel
AK Steel is a leading producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products, primarily for the automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, including electrical power, and distributors and converters markets. Through its subsidiaries, the company also provides customer solutions with carbon and stainless steel tubing products, die design and tooling, and hot- and cold-stamped components. Headquartered in West Chester, Ohio (Greater Cincinnati), the company has approximately 9,200 employees at manufacturing operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and facilities in Western Europe. Additional information about AK Steel is available at www.aksteel.com.
Contacts:
Media – Lisa H. Jester, Corporate Manager, Communications and Public Relations (513) 425-2510
Investors – Douglas O. Mitterholzer, General Manager, Investor Relations (513) 425-5215