Soft-skill seminars offered free to apprenticeship candidates

Macomb’s Applied Technology and Apprenticeship program has teamed up with the college’s Career Services department to provide virtual softskill seminars to students in Macomb’s Michigan Apprenticeship Program Plus (MAP+).

Soft skills include critical thinking, decision making, note taking, problem solving and team management. To help students prepare for job interviews, additional seminars are offered in career assessment, career research, interview success, networking, resume review and resume success.

“We discovered some time ago that job candidates did not possess the skills essential for success in the workplace. The workplace has changed today and employers are seeking candidates who can hit the ground running,” related Robert

Penkala, Macomb’s director of Career Services. “We have built a series of essential skill seminars that combine with career and workplace skills to help students prepare for employment. Employers see a significant difference in employment preparation for students who complete these essential skill seminars.”

An offshoot of the free Student Success Seminars that Career Services offers students throughout the year, the MAP+ Job Readiness Preparation Seminars have been designed to specifically complement the MAP+ Industrial Readiness Certificate program offered by Macomb.

Completion of the certificate signifies to sponsoring employers that a student has mastered certain fundamental skills that qualify them to begin an apprenticeship in an industrial or construction trade. Employersponsored apprenticeships include those in carpentry, computer-aided manufacturing, computer numerical control, machining, mold making, plumbing and pipefitting, robotics, welding and more. Classes in the program include mathematics, drafting, industrial safety and trade-related preparation.

“Since the program’s inception in 2013, Macomb has seen widespread acceptance of the Industrial Readiness Certificate among employers who are eagerly searching for quality candidates to fill apprenticeships,” says Vikki Gordon, Macomb’s apprentice coordinator. “Several employers now use the completion of this program in lieu of a program entrance exam as their method for selecting apprentices.”