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NMTI, Pacific Rim collaborate to train students
The Northern Marianas Trades Institute and Pacific Rim are partnering to train students in the carpentry and electrical fields. (Contributed Photo)
The Northern Marianas Trades Institute and Pacific Rim are partnering to train students in the carpentry and electrical fields.
A total of 28 students composed of Guam and Saipan trainees are taking advantage of this collaboration as their training programs officially started this week.
The training curriculum was put together through a regional apprenticeship program offered by the U.S. Department of Labor through the Guam Job Center.
NMTI serves as the official training unit after U.S. Apprenticeship approved the curriculum being taught prospective trainees. The institute’s curriculum is backed by the National Center for Construction Education & Research through the Guam Contractors Association. At the end, students are given the opportunity to become “journeymen” as a result of receiving their U.S. DOL certificate.
Agnes McPhetres, chief executive officer of NMTI, said, “We have always taken the responsibility of addressing the manpower shortage seriously. The CNMI is not a stranger to building training programs. The CNMI has created numerous laws with the intent of establishing apprenticeships. However, this concept never seemed to take root in the CNMI [until] now.”
Ross Manglona, NMTI’s director of Workforce Development, said, “This opportunity is a welcome one for the school as we stand by our product and we thank Pacific Rim for seeing the need to grow its employees from within, a concept that is fairly new to many in our community.” (PR)
