The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board has directed CUC management to develop a U.S. Department of Labor-certified apprenticeship program in coordination with institutions on Saipan and in Guam.<\/p>\n
After discussions last week, board director Diego Songao moved that CUC administration coordinate an apprenticeship program with not only the Northern Marianas Technical Institute but other institutions, and to ensure that the curriculum established will be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/p>\n
Songao initiated the discussion when he asked CUC executive director Alan Fletcher about the \u201cestimated costs\u201d for contract worker apprentices, pointing to the CW period that expires in 2019.<\/p>\n
Fletcher said they try to work closely with NMTI to develop these workers \u201cwithin their limits.\u201d He said the institute doesn\u2019t have all the funding they need for a full apprenticeship program.<\/p>\n
He said the apprenticeship programs at the Northern Marianas College were fleeting, noting the college has tried for years to get one going. \u201cIt has not been successful,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
\u2018The whole infrastructure in the CNMI is not really there for this workforce\u2026 We are trying to do it in-house, as much possible, within our budgets. We do have some budgets that would like to expand. We are getting pricing from technicians\u2026as well as continuing to work with NMC and NMTI as they develop their funding sources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not where it should be by any means,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Board director David Sablan Jr. suggested asking the Guam Power Authority to share their apprenticeship curriculum with NMC and have the college develop it. He noted that in this program the contract worker employee would act as a mentor.<\/p>\n
The type of apprenticeship was not specified in the motion. But discussion indicated this might focus on \u201cthe technical field of power generation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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