Raymond Encourages Careers in Manufacturing with Youth Apprenticeship Program

For more than 25 years, the Youth Apprenticeship Program has been a part of The Raymond Corporation’s commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and encouraging young talent to explore career paths in manufacturing. Coordinated through the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the programme provides a hands-on, experiential approach to learning for junior and senior high school students.

In May, Raymond recognised three high school seniors from Greene High School who spent two years contributing to the Youth Apprenticeship Program at its headquarters in Greene, New York. The apprenticeship programme at Raymond allowed the students to experience what careers are available in the material handling industry. The student apprentices – Coy Austin, Gray Reid, and Dominic Williams – showcased the projects they participated in and any outcomes they achieved. They also discussed their new skills acquired as a result of the programme, highlighting increased knowledge of corporate logistics, lean manufacturing, IT, and engineering.

“As the manufacturing skills gap widens, we hope this apprenticeship helped the students see the breadth of career paths available in this profession and gain the skill sets necessary to succeed in the future,” said Heidi Foster, coordinator of the Youth Apprenticeship Program, Raymond. “With today’s e-commerce pressures to meet faster supply chain response times, finding skilled labour will be critical to keeping companies competitive.”

Raymond will welcome six new apprentices to the programme in September 2018.