Ober Gatlinburg And WSCC Starting Apprentice Program

Ober Gatlinburg and Walters State Community College are joining forces and creating an apprenticeship program for maintenance mechanics. Walters State’s Debra Williams says apprentices will receive valuable on-the-job training and will get paid while learning. Employees in the program will learn engineering technology skills and complete the requirements for certifications in a variety of areas, including ones provided by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Williams says Ober Mountain employees participating in the program will learn valuable skills both on the job and in the classroom. Credit classes taken by the employee can then be applied to a technical certificate or the associate of applied science degree. Ober Mountain is planning to start 2 applicants in the apprenticeship program in January.

The program has been approved by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. For more information on beginning an apprenticeship program, contact Anita Ricker at Anita.Ricker@ws.edu or 423-620-2730. For information about opportunities at Ober Mountain, call 865-277-8847 or aholcombe@obergatlinburg.com.