Building Skilled Trades for the Future: Autokiniton’s Apprentice Success Story

Huron Co. – Finding electricians, maintenance technicians, and tool-and-die journeymen can be challenging, especially in rural areas. Autokiniton, located in Elkton, has USDOL-registered apprentices in each field, and they regularly utilize Delta College to provide the classroom portion of the apprenticeship training.

GST Michigan Works! partners with Autokiniton to provide WorkKeys testing for screening new apprentices. After completing a fact-finding, the GSTMW! team determined that the Going PRO Talent Fund would be a good fit to assist the company with reimbursement for their investment in apprentice training. Autokiniton applied for funding and was successfully approved in 2023, allowing them to support 16 current apprentices with classroom and On-the-Job Training. These apprentices included seven electricians, three maintenance technicians, and six tool-and-die apprentices. The company hired two new maintenance technicians and one new electrical apprentice. A total of 19 apprentices attended the individual classes they needed to move forward toward achieving their journeyman card.

Finding qualified employees who will succeed in classroom training and stick with the schedule of working and attending training is always a challenge. However, employees attending training have expanded their knowledge and increased their wages while learning skills that will lead to a journeyman card. These skilled employees will help Autokiniton remain a leading provider of automotive parts.