The new secretary for Kentucky’s Labor Cabinet is a firm believer in apprenticeship and mentorship programs for young people.
Derrick Ramsey offered testimony this week before the Senate Tourism, Economic Development, and Labor Committee.
Ramsey says mentoring is a valuable form of support.
“Cause I can train you and let you go and yeah, you’ll finally pick it up,” Ramsey said. “But wouldn’t it be a heck of a lot easier if throughout that process you had somebody to call back to that’s experienced what you’re going through?”
Ramsey says it’s important to educate companies about the value of training programs for high school aged students.
Committee member Jimmy Higdon said some firms in his community were skittish of working with anyone under age 18.
Bowling Green Senator Mike Wilson says today’s machinist is not your grandfather’s machinist.
Wilson also serves on the Labor committee. He says a company he’s affiliated with had to turn to a retired technician in order to complete a job.
“We’ve got to start working at it through our schools, through our labor cabinet, through any possible way that we can to broaden the pool that’s out there of knowledge and understanding and information,” explained Wilson.
Wilson says a big part of a machinist job today includes being able to program computer run metal cutting machines.
