Marine Fabricator July/August 2024 - 32

" Progress is benchmarked by the
" THE INTERNSHIP
PROGRAM PROVIDES
A ROAD MAP TO
GIVING COLLEGE
STUDENTS AND YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS
A PLATFORM TO
EXPERIENCE THE
TEXTILES INDUSTRY. "
King Mukherjee
Global Impex USA
Offering paid options
Mary Koutras, research and development
manager for Duro-Last, says her company
also has found new employees through
its internship programs. Headquartered
in Saginaw, Mich., Duro-Last (a division
amount of work they complete each week
and how fast they get the work done, "
Mukherjee says. " There is an opportunity
for an extension depending on each
intern's performance. "
He says the program has helped the
company and its employees in multiple
ways, including through networking,
diversity and mentorship. He's also added
to his workforce by hiring several
interns, including one who is now a
general manager.
of Holcim Solutions and Products US
LLC) manufactures single-ply PVC
roofing membranes for flat- and lowslope-roof
commercial buildings for roofing
contractors and building owners in
the construction industry. The company
has 900 full- and part-time employees, with
a mix of seasoned staff and newer arrivals.
The company has developed three paid
internship programs, says Koutras. One is
the " traditional style " where interns balance
their college courses with an adjusted
work schedule designed to accommodate
their classes. Another was created for
interns who can work during the summer
only. Both of these programs have been in
place for more than 15 years.
A more recent one, initiated in 2020
in conjunction with the company's
Research and Development (R&D)
YOUR FUTURE WORKFORCE MIGHT LIVE NEXT DOOR
M
arine fabricators interested in
connecting with prospective
employees may not need to look
farther than their neighbors.
In 2020, Darren LaPorte, owner of
LaPorte Products in North Charleston, S.C.,
has hosted community sewing classes to
find potential employees.
LaPorte Products in North Charleston,
S.C., recognized the importance of
community when his shop needed
sewers. He hosted a free two-week
community sewing class to introduce
folks to the company and, ideally, to
find potential employees.
" We did the classes in the middle
of the day, feeling that if people were
showing up for classes at that time,
they probably didn't have a job, " says
LaPorte. " We'd let them sew for two
weeks and have them start with a
duffle bag, and then we had them
sew some of our stock items to show
them how it would be if they were
working in a production manner. Then
we would see if they were interested in
a job. "
The classes were held in the shop's
loft space and primarily attracted
people between the ages of 30 to 50.
The sewers were given a project to
work on and were taught the differences
between home and industrial
sewing machines.
" If they wanted to have the classes
extended, " says LaPorte, " it would cost
them $75 for another week. If they
wanted another two weeks, it would be
$150. But the first two weeks were free
so we could get people in who might
not be able to afford it. "
32 Marine Fabricator | July/Aug 2024
Marine Fabricator July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Marine Fabricator July/August 2024
