Refresco is dedicated to nurturing and advancing the future skilled trades workforce. This program is structured to enable the Maintenance Management Team to collaborate with local technical schools, existing employees, or newly recruited team members by providing advancement opportunities for individuals seeking to gain practical experience alongside classroom education that will develop and grow their career in the Maintenance field. Through this initiative, Refresco aims to bolster its presence in the skilled trades job market while helping individuals kick start their careers.

Program Prerequisites:

The employee is required to uphold a positive standing with the company. Candidates must undergo an interview with the Maintenance Manager and successfully pass a written and hands-on prequalification test to assess their fundamental skills before entering the program. The Maintenance Manager will assess the interview and testing outcomes to gauge whether any fundamental training is required.

Work Requirements:

Apprentices are required to work 40 hours per week during 1st shift hours. Apprentices are not considered to be job qualified in terms of Daily or Off-Day Overtime, or Departmental Job Bidding. Apprentices are eligible for all other fringes as outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Job specific training will be provided during the working hours of the apprentice. These trainings must be completed prior to advancing out of the program. Work quality and quantity will be regularly assessed by management. Reviews will be documented and provided to the apprentice on 30-day intervals throughout the duration of the program.

Guidelines for the Apprentice:

Refresco and the Teamsters Union Local No. 688 generally recognize the maximum duration of the apprentice skillset as 18 months, any extension to this will be mutually agreed upon by the company and the union prior to any extension being granted. The company has the discretion to advance the Apprentice to the level of Maintenance Mechanic B at any time based on the results of the prequalification testing. Apprentices who can furnish an authentic transcript bearing an embossed seal as evidence of successfully completing courses resembling those described below with a GPA of 3.0 or above may qualify for placement in an advanced apprenticeship level and not be subject to completing offsite fundamental training. EMT0110: Electrical Maintenance I FWL0110: Welding I INT0110: Industrial Maintenance Mechanics PLT0110: Pipefitting Theory and Practice

Fundamental Training:

Should fundamental training be required, it will be offsite and carried out by a local reputable technical college, approved vendor or the OEM. The company will sponsor 100% of the registration, tuition, books, and other fees so long as the apprentice maintains a GPA of 3.0 or above and signs a 24-month letter of commitment that begins upon the completion of the training program. If the external training necessitates tools that are not included in the tuition fees, the company will cover the cost of the tools at its expense, contingent upon the apprentice's willingness to sign an additional 24-month commitment letter, thereby extending the total employment commitment to 48 months. Because the company is covering the cost of tuition, wages will not be paid for time spent in training. The company acknowledges that balancing full-time work and attending school can be demanding. In an effort to alleviate the financial strain, the company will cover the round-trip mileage expenses from your home address to the school. These reimbursements will be in accordance with the IRS standard mileage rate for typical business travel.

Disqualification from the program:

Disqualification may occur if the quality and/or quantity of work falls below company expectations. Non-compliance with the company's attendance policy or Work Rules and Good Manufacturing Practices. Failure to meet the minimum GPA requirements agreed upon by the Conclusion of employment, whether initiated by the company or the employee. The employee is subject to the repayment of a negotiated portion of the company sponsored tuition and tools should the employee fall outside of the requirements mentioned above.

Advancement to Full Time Employment:

The apprentice must have the company required tools before advancing to a full-scale position. If the apprentice signed the additional 24-month letter of commitment, these tools will be provided. If outside fundamental training was required, the apprentice must have passed all required courses with a GPA of 3.0 or above. All job-specific training should be accomplished with a minimum standard quality rating of 'Meets.' All 30-day reviews must be satisfactory.

Maintenance Higher Wage Advancements:

The company will use the applicants results from fundamental prequalification to determine the apprentice’s hourly wage. The company can pay as low as 75% or up to 100% of the wage of the position that the apprentice is training for. If an existing maintenance employee is using this program to progress to a higher pay scale, the company will at a minimum match the employees current pay scale. Existing employees desiring to progress to a higher pay scale can utilize the Apprenticeship Program for this purpose, provided they fulfill the following prerequisites. Must have a minimum of 12 months of service as a Refresco Employee. Must have held current pay scale for a minimum of 6 months. Must not have any active progressive discipline. Must have less than 2 attendance points accumulated. Employees will be subject to everything outlined previously in this program. The required courses to progress to a higher pay scale are outlined below.

 

B Mechanic Progressing to A Mechanic

EEL0110

DC and AC Theory and Lab

EEL0120

Basic Control Circuits and Commercial Wiring Practices

ELA0230

Motor Controls, Drives, and Power Distribution

ELA0240

Programmable Logic Controllers and Human Machine Interface Control

 

A Mechanic Progressing to AA Mechanic

CST0240

Principals of Control, Batch Processing and Communications