JLG Partners with Local Educators on Workforce Development
JLG Industries is expanding its workforce development efforts with a series of programs designed to address skilled labor shortages and rebuild the industrial talent pipeline across the United States.
The company is taking a people-first approach that reaches from high school classrooms to factory floors, with the goal of creating new pathways into welding, painting, assembly, maintenance, engineering, service, and equipment operation roles.
“In America today, there are more students who want hands-on technical education than there are classroom seats available,” Andy Tacelosky, COO, said in a statement. “We saw an opportunity, not just to hire talent but to help create it one student, one trainee, and one craft professional at a time. These programs give people a pathway to build a career, earn a living, and stay in the communities they love.”
JLG School-to-Work program in Pennsylvania
The School-to-Work program allows high school juniors and seniors near its manufacturing sites in McConnellsburg, Shippensburg, Bedford, Greencastle, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to earn school credit while working paid positions in welding, assembly, painting, fabrication, warehouse support, and related functions. Students gain real-world experience, mentorship, and the option to move into full-time roles after graduation.
The S2W+ extension places students in advanced positions, including maintenance, robotics, machining, engineering and testing.
“Our School-to-Work program gives young people a real opportunity to help us rebuild the future of the skilled trades,” Tacelosky said in a statement. “These are students who want to work with their hands and solve real problems, but the classroom alone cannot always give them that experience. Through S2W and S2W+, they earn school credit, a paycheck and the chance to work alongside experienced professionals. We’re creating more skilled workers in the Pennsylvanian communities where our team members live and work, as well as shaping the next generation of craft professionals and manufacturing leaders.”
Training with TCAT in Tennessee
JLG also formed a partnership with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology near its Jefferson City, Tennessee, manufacturing facility. Students participate in campus visits, interviews, and plant tours before working part-time on JLG’s maintenance team while attending classes. Students rotate between first and second shifts to learn from specialists in multiple disciplines.
“This is what modern technical education should look like,” Tacelosky said in a statement. “Students are learning in class and applying it in real-world situations the same day.”
Tacelosky said the company’s efforts are part of a broader, long-term strategy to support American manufacturing. “We’re not just preparing people for jobs,” he said in a statement. “We’re helping them build meaningful careers. And in doing so, we’re helping strengthen the trades, the industry and the communities we’re proud to call home.”
--This piece was created with the assistance of generative AI tools and was edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.