The Mull Group Launches Certified Apprenticeship Program

|Photo by Emma Delk| The Mull Group President and CEO James Mull poses with the certificates of registration for the company’s two new apprenticeship programs.

The Mull Group employees can now become certified journeymen in the company’s new apprenticeship program created in collaboration with the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center.

The Mull Group is the first manufacturing company in the valley to offer a certified journeyman apprenticeship program. Employees can enter the program to become certified computer numerical control machinists or quality control technicians.

James Mull, president and CEO of The Mull Group, said the program would differ from the company’s in-house apprenticeships in that employees will now be certified CNC machinists or quality control technicians through the U.S. Department of Labor upon program completion.

“Our guys will be in a true apprenticeship, and they can use that [certification] paperwork anywhere in the country when they’re finished,” Mull said. “Not many businesses offer certified journeyman apprenticeships, so we’re pretty excited about this. It’s expensive, but it’s going to be really good for us and our employees.”

The program’s expense comes from administering the apprenticeships, as employees must complete 144 classroom hours every year they are in the program. The certified computer numerical control machinist apprenticeship is a four-year program, and the certified quality control technician apprenticeship is a two-year program.

Mull said employees in the apprenticeship will have the opportunity to complete two hours of online learning required for the program at work each week. He noted with this on the job training, employees will only have to complete one hour of online training at home each week to stay on pace to complete the 144 hours required yearly for the program. He said The Mull Group will provide iPads for employees to use at home in the program if needed.

The online classes will include math basics, blueprint reading and other foundational knowledge and theory required for the job. Mull said the classes can be completed at the employee’s own pace but they must complete 144 classroom hours each year.

Abbi Martin, executive assistant at The Mull Group, will monitor employees as they move through the program to make sure they are on-track to complete the requirements for each year in the program. Frank Kinney, vice president of production at The Mull Group, will oversee on-the-job training for the apprenticeship.

“The program is completed at their own pace, so some people if they’re disciplined may get it done in two months, while others may wait until they have two months left to complete most of the training,” Mull said. “It’s going to be Abbi’s job to make sure that, if in October an employee still has 60 hours left in the program, we may give them a day off from on-the-job work to get some online training completed.”

Mull equated completing the certification program to the difference between learning a skill by watching a Youtube video to completing a college course on a topic.

“You can watch a video on how to fix your dishwasher, but whenever you take a true class on fixing dishwashers, you learn everything about that, whether it’s fully relevant to you or not,” Mull said. “From a safety standpoint, the safety program offered in the apprenticeship is very rigorous, so employees have to go through qualifications that we don’t necessarily teach or require here. It’s really taking our safety to the next level here.”

Mull aims to eventually have the company’s more than 100 employees complete the certification. He said the program’s selected pilot group of five to six exemplary employees will provide feedback to help iron out any kinks in the apprenticeship.

While Mull hopes all employees will stay with the company after completing the apprenticeship, he noted that if they leave, the certification will increase their likelihood of finding a job elsewhere and possibly earn them a high salary.

“If we have an employee that has to leave, they will be able to show the next job they interview for their certified journeymen papers from the DOL and find a job at journeymen pay,” Mull said. “Apprentices typically make $23.60 an hour while journeymen can make over $33 to $34 an hour. Just by having that paper, they’re verifying they’re a true journeyman.”

The Mull Group employees can join the certification program for free. Mull said the company is still completing its licensing in Ohio to launch the program in the state.

The Mull Group’s certified journeyman apprenticeship program is also the only machinist apprenticeship offered in the valley. Mull hopes the launch of the apprenticeship will inspire other manufacturers in the area to explore their options for bringing more certified journeyman programs and other apprenticeships to the valley.

“There’s plenty of real estate here, plenty of talented kids in our high schools and plenty of resources, but not enough opportunities for residents,” Mull said. “I think that if we can lead the charge and have other machine shops and industries commit to raising the standard of manufacturing in the area, that will keep more employees here. There’s not much manufacturing here, but if businesses and schools raise the bar with what we offer, we can make Wheeling and the Ohio Valley closer to the manufacturing hub we used to be.”