Marine Fabricator July/August 2024 - 34

TOP: Regardless of previous industry
experience, new hires at Signature
CanvasMakers must complete an
apprenticeship program. Ongoing
training is another way the company
ensures fabrication quality and
consistency. Here, employees are shown
participating in one such training session.
Photo: Signature CanvasMakers
ABOVE: Duro-Last offers three types of
internship programs for university/college
students; the most recent one developed
in conjunction with the company's R&D
department. Here, a direct report, shown
on the right, is training an intern on the use
of a lab scale extruder. Photo: Duro-Last
says the summer interns have come back
for multiple summers and the majority
of the rotational interns have returned.
Time requirements vary. The average
number of hours interns attending classes
work is around 20 hours per week,
although this can be adjusted depending
on the intern's college schedule, says
Koutras. Summer internships are 40
hours weekly; rotational internships are
40 hours weekly with the chance for
overtime and three days off for the three
working months. At the end of the work
term, interns deliver a presentation to
key stakeholders, showing what they've
accomplished as well as sharpening their
presentation skills.
" The last three years have been disruptive,
from COVID, labor shortages,
raw-material supply shortages etc., "
says Koutras. " A benefit we had due
to our program is that during the labor
shortages, we were able to hire two of
the interns when they graduated. We are
creating a pipeline of future employees. "
34 Marine Fabricator | July/Aug 2024
Rewarding skill and efficiency
Signature CanvasMakers has taken a
different approach by implementing
an apprenticeship program that all new
hires, regardless of prior experience,
must go through, says CEO Charlene
Clark. Headquartered in Hampton, Va.,
Signature designs and manufactures
canvas and textile products such as
enclosures, covers, tops and cushions for
the government/military, commercial,
recreational and residential markets.
As of this writing, the company has 10
full-time and three part-time employees,
with three full-time employees and one
part-timer in training. Everyone starts out
as an apprentice. For example, those on
the sewing team must learn all the hems,
seams and techniques that go into making
their products, says Clark.
" Our pattern/installation team learns
the tools, fasteners and other materials
we work with, as well as techniques
such as drilling and tapping metal, " she
continues. " Our digital team learns how
to apply definable CAD techniques that
increase in complexity to build the products
we produce. "
Once a new hire has satisfactorily completed
the apprenticeship training, they
are given a certificate of achievement and
a pay raise. They then can begin working
toward their certification levels. There is
no timeline for apprenticeship training
completion, says Clark, but most finish
within one to three weeks depending on
the department and the skills required.
There are four certification levels,
covering 20 different project types between
them. These fall into the general
categories of covers, tops, enclosures,
dodgers and cushions/upholstery. As
workers move through the levels-department
managers oversee progress
and provide support, feedback and ongoing
training-the complexity and demands
also increase.
For example, those vying for Level 4
qualification must be able to manage
Marine Fabricator July/August 2024

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