http://www.sealectplastics.com/ <br /> <br />Plastics industry VP and general manager Matt Poischbeg believes that much of his success in life stems from the life and technical skills he acquired as an at-risk teen in Germany. He apprenticed as a 16 year old on a farm and parlayed those skills when he came to the Pacific Northwest as a young man to climb from a mail room intern to the corporate level. <br /> <br />Matt believes secondary education systems should restore apprenticeships as school-endorsed paths to career and life success. <br /> <br />Arguably the biggest hurdle facing manufacturing today is the shortage of skilled workers. With fewer high schools offering hands-on learning through vocational classes, young workers interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing are tasked with figuring out how to start a career in that industry. One facet of the hiring process many undermine is the importance of soft skills, including effective communication, resumes writing and interviewing. <br /> <br />As part of AJAC's and Workforce Snohomish's 10-week pre-apprenticeship training program, the Manufacturing Academy, students are given the opportunity during each cohort to tour a handful of local-area manufacturing companies, to fully understand the soft and technical skills needed to become a productive employee. In May, a dozen students from the Monroe Manufacturing Academy were given the privilege to tour SEA-LECT Plastics, an Everett-based manufacturer specializing in plastic injection molding - particularly for outdoor recreational equipment. SEA-LECT Plastics is a registered Training Agent with apprentices enrolled in AJAC's Tool & Die Maker and Industrial Maintenance Mechanic apprenticeship programs. <br /> <br />This talk was given at TEDxSnoIsleLibraries 2016 in Edmonds, Washington. http://www.sno-isle.org/tedx <br /> <br />FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/sealectplast... <br /> <br />Google +: https://plus.google.com/b/10576904362... <br /> <br />Twitter: https://twitter.com/sea_lect
