JOB SKILLS TRAINING THROUGH APPRENTICESHIPS Another significant barrier to employment and employee success is a lack of skills and/or experience required to do a job effectively. In 2018, Frontier Co-op initiated an apprenticeship program to address this. We began by meeting with the leadership of our local non-profit partner, Willis Dady Homeless Services, who shared that many of their clients were eager to work and achieve financial stability but lacked resources required for employment – in addition to job skills, a government issued ID, a residential address, a work history and references, work clothes or shoes, reliable transportation, and access to showers and laundry facilities. We agreed to work together to address these barriers. Today, we continue to work with Willis Dady Homeless Services in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Their team identifies clients who would be good candidates for Frontier Co-op employment, and provides critical personal and hous- ing support. We provide apprenticeships that train candidates to work in food-safe manufacturing, safe and affordable childcare options, healthy food options from our subsidized organic cafe for all shifts, and reliable transportation to and from our facilities. After the apprenticeship period, candidates are eligible to apply to become full employees, or use this experience to move their careers forward with another employer. Apprentices who are hired full-time at Frontier Co-op have already become team members during their apprenticeship period. They’ve become effective at performing their jobs and understand our expectations and culture – allowing for a seamless transition to full employment. Those who choose to move on after their apprenticeships do so with work experience and references, earnings from the steady paycheck they’ve received, and the stability they’ve gained from the consistent support provided by Willis Dady’s wraparound case management services. They emerge having proven to themselves, Frontier Co-op, and/or their future employers that they are capable, reliable, and ready to continue moving their lives forward.
400+ INDIVIDUALS BENEFITTED
20% OF PRODUCTION HIRES
To date, over 400 individuals have benefitted from this apprenticeship program, and 20% of Frontier Co-op’s production hires have been through this program since 2018.
I started out in the apprenticeship program. [...] They taught me everything I needed to know and I was promoted quickly. I was able to learn the skills I needed to be successful and earn a stable income at the same time. Through Willis Dady’s services I was able to find long term housing shortly after that. A year and a half later, I’ve been promoted twice, and I’m just going to keep going.
— Frontier Co-op Employee
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