Wagstaff Receives Community Leadership Award
FIRST GRADUATES OF
PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURING ACADEMY
SPOKANE VALLEY, WASHINGTON, USA – July 31, 2019
Twenty high school students will graduate from the first‐ever, Production and Manufacturing Academy this Friday after spending four weeks in this interactive trades immersion experience. The students spent time with local area manufacturers with a goal to gain an understanding of the trades and to explore potential future careers. The graduation ceremony will take place at 10 a.m., Friday, August 2 at East Valley High School.
The Production and Manufacturing Academy was founded this year to provide an avenue for young
people to gain exposure to careers in the trades within the Spokane area. Lead by Wagstaff, Inc., Greater Spokane, Inc., East Valley School District, and the Spokane Workforce Council, a group of manufacturing and education entities joined forces to actively address the ongoing shortage of skilled workers in the trades. Wade Larson, Director of Human Resources at Wagstaff emphasizes the importance of exposure to skilled trades, “There are numerous opportunities in the trades for good paying jobs that can provide steady employment that don’t require a 4‐year degree.”
The manufacturing and education community of Spokane Valley pulled together to produce a program that allowed high school juniors and seniors to experience what a trades career could provide in the way of creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and reward. Over the course of the program, participating students were introduced to conceptual product design while working alongside design engineers. The students’ designs were then prototyped using 3‐D printing during an additive manufacturing session at local technology company, Quest Integration. To accomplish the output requirements set forth at the beginning of the program, students were broken into groups, which were then introduced to production
scheduling, material supply chain, and quality control. Finally, the students learned how to market and sell their products to potential customers.
The products completed by the apprentices included a mobile music amplifier, cutting boards, corn hole game boards, and bird houses. The students sold their finished products at the sponsor companies’ facilities and at East Valley High School. With only 36 hours’ notice, students were given the assignment to sell their products in only 2 hours of operation time. The teams sold their inventory and raised $1,540 in revenue in those 2 hours.
The Production and Manufacturing Academy is planning a similar program in 2020. The Academy and its supporters are champions of organic growth in trades education and workforce development in the Spokane Area. Their goal is to continue to provide opportunities for young people to explore these fields.
Students will make presentations on their experiences at the graduation ceremony. Representatives set to attend include officials from Governor Inslee's office, Representative McMorris Roger's office, local chambers, school districts, academy sponsors, GSI, and others throughout the community.
For information on the Academy and the Manufacturing Consortium, see
wagstaff.com/Wagstaff/Careers/Internship.htm
Greater Spokane, Inc.
East Valley School District
Spokane Workforce Council
Pyrotek, Inc.
Mackay Manufacturing
Altek, Inc.
Unicep
Quest Integration
Hotstart
Spokane Public Schools
Central Valley School District
West Valley School District
Freeman School District
Media Contact
Turina McClelland
Wagstaff, Inc.
tm@wagstaff.com
509 981 5098
Wagstaff Named Finalist for State Award
WAGSTAFF NOMINATED FOR EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
SPOKANE VALLEY, WASHINGTON, USA, November 20, 2018 - Wagstaff, Inc., was recently named a finalist for the “Employer of the Year” award, a distinguished recognition of a Washington State business who has implemented innovative job retention, creation, benefits, and compensation plans that foster a thriving work environment. The awards are presented by the Association of Washington Business, and the winners will be announced the Annual Evening of Excellence, November 28 in Seattle.
With more than 400 employees worldwide, Wagstaff strives to be an employer of choice in the Spokane area, in Washington State, and in the global aluminum industry. This is done through new programs recently implemented to bolster the employee experience at the company. These programs include options for employee health insurance, financial and physical wellness, continuing education, professional development, and community involvement.
The employee wellness program includes incentives to help employees make healthy choices in lifestyle such as stress management and regular exercise. An all-new onsite gym with treadmills, stair climbers, cycles, and weightlifting equipment was added in 2016. The company hired a professional personal trainer and offers incentives to participate in onsite fitness classes. Employees can reduce their healthcare costs by reporting workouts, engaging in wellness activities, and improving personal biometrics. This program has contributed to the overall health of the company by lowering employee and employer costs and by increasing the wellbeing of employees.
Wagstaff has been a long supporter of manufacturing careers at its plants in Spokane Valley, Washington and Hebron, Kentucky. Partnerships with local skills centers and high schools have begun an ongoing conversation in the community around careers in Manufacturing and STEM. Good careers are available in the manufacturing sector, and Wagstaff is making youth awareness and preparation for these careers a priority by hosting open houses, sponsoring events and facilitating Wagstaff manufacturing specialists to participate in local education at the high school and college levels.
A high-quality manufacturing and STEM workforce is vital to Washington State and to the Spokane and surrounding areas and is a priority for Wagstaff, Inc. It takes a multi-faceted strategy to deliver high-tech, industrial systems to customers in 58 countries from Spokane, Washington, and a cornerstone to that strategy is the people of Wagstaff. Wagstaff is fully committed to working alongside the local community on workforce development and education efforts, and will continually strive to create an exceptional employee experience.
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About the Association of Washington Business – www.awb.org
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes nearly 7,000 members representing 700,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, more than 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.