STANLEY, N.C. – Blum Inc. has added a new component to its award-winning Apprenticeship 2000, a four-year training program sponsored by Blum and four other North Carolina companies. Supplementing the classroom and practical instructions, many of the Blum students now benefit from a mentoring program.

“Since January is National Mentoring Month, we thought this an appropriate time to announce the addition of this exceptional learning tool,” says Karl Ruedisser, Blum’s chief executive officer and general manager. “Apprenticeship 2000 has always been a hands-on program; mentoring just takes that aspect one step forward.”

The North Carolina Mentoring Partnership defines a mentor as “an adult who, along with parents, provides young people with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example.” National Mentoring Month focuses attention on the need for mentors and the positive impact mentoring can have on young lives.

Most of the 12 students now enrolled in Blum’s apprenticeship program are being mentored at some point in the training. Apprentice manager Andreas Thurner says mentoring allows students to apply their knowledge to practical applications in the production area. “The apprentices ask questions, the mentors answer them and a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge occurs,” Thurner explains.

Apprenticeship 2000 students train in the 4,800-square-foot Blum Apprenticeship Center, which is part of the company’s complex in Stanley. Each apprentice undergoes 8,000 hours of training, including approximately 1,600 hours of classroom work at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC).

Vice president of engineering Ralf Atzor, department head for Blum’s U.S. apprenticeship program, says mentoring allows apprentices to experience production applications earlier in their training. “Mentoring lets students develop problem-solving skills unique to a particular area or machine,” Atzor comments. “As a bonus, mentoring bridges the generation gap, fostering tolerance and respect among workers and generations.”

Founded in 1995 by Blum Inc. and Max Daetwyler Corp. of Huntersville, Apprenticeship 2000 now includes Ameritech Die and Mold Inc. of Mooresville, Sarstedt Inc. of Newton, and Timken Bearing Co. of Iron Station. The program prepares men and women for positions as tool-and-die makers, machine technicians, mold/plastics technicians, quality technicians and CNC machinists.

Blum invests more than $100,000 per student in Apprenticeship 2000, which is patterned after the European-style apprenticeship training practiced by Blum’s parent company, Julius Blum GmbH of Austria. Tim Ballard is machine technician trainer for the U.S. program; Tony Austin trains first-year students; Bill Frederick is second-year trainer; and James Neal is CNC trainer.

Apprenticeship 2000 recruits apprentices from nearly 30 high schools in six North Carolina counties, as well as from the existing work forces of consortium members. Each graduate earns an associate’s degree in manufacturing technology from CPCC and journeyman certification from the North Carolina Department of Labor.

Information on Apprenticeship 2000 is available from Andreas Thurner or Tony Austin at 704.827.1345, or at apprenticeship2000.com.