Jake Schulz, vice president of production for TTX (Therma-Tron-X), joins co-hosts Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance and Kate Bruns of Insight on Manufacturing on this week’s new episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Werner Electric Supply.
Schulz talks with Bruns and Franz about TTX’s commitment to its YA program and how leaders at TTX work to build connections with local students.
“Youth Apprenticeship has made a big impact for TTX, but also our community,” says Schulz, NEWMA’s Visionary Award Winner in last year’s Excellence in Manufacturing K12 Partnership Awards. Passionate about helping area youth find their future pathways, Schulz also is a member of the Sturgeon Bay Schools Board of Education and also works with church youth groups.
One of the ways that TTX has drawn students specifically to its company is through outreach into the local schools, with welders from the TTX floor visiting welding & fabrication classrooms.
“When a student sees our talented individuals entering into the classroom sharing their passion and their career that they’ve built for themselves, the students are seeing, ‘You know what? Maybe there is another option,’” Schulz says.
TTX is growing rapidly, starting the year with 300 employees and adding more than three dozen thus far. The 55-year-old company has evolved over time, now designing, fabricating and installing custom industrial finishing systems and wastewater treatment for industrial clients. To help address that growth, the company is expanding its YA program.
“Since 2021 we’ve had 26 Youth Apprentices that have successfully come through our program, and we have been privileged to see a few of those come on board as full-time employees,” Schulz says. “But each year we’ve seen that program grow.”
Read more about the rise of youth apprenticeship in Wisconsin in the July issue of Insight on Manufacturing.
Listen to the full episode on Spreaker or anywhere you listen to podcasts. NEW Manufacturing Insights is produced by Woodward Community Media; new episodes are released on Thursdays.
Contact your Insight account manager for sponsorship information, or contact Kate Bruns at kbruns@insightonbusiness.com to suggest topics and guests
