PA Dept. Of Labor Joins Oberg Apprentice Ceremony
Natrona Heights, PA – Oberg is extremely proud to honor our latest class of graduating apprentices and salute their dedication and hard work in completing the state-registered program to receive their Journeyworker certification. The event, held on July 21, recognized 45 apprentices graduating from 2019 to 2022 (as the pandemic had prevented previous group ceremonies over the past 2 years). Nearly thirty-five apprentices were able to attend and were joined by PADLI Director of the Apprenticeship & Training Office, Tara Loew (shown above), who congratulated the graduates and highlighted the benefits of an apprenticeship education; including higher overall earnings, certifiable skills and more secure employment over their lifetime. Since its inception in the early 1970s, Oberg’s registered “earn-while-you-learn” apprenticeship program has graduated nearly 500 highly-skilled employees into a wide variety of positions in the company.
Loew explained that apprenticeships build happier, more productive employees because “people value an employer that values and invests in them.” She credited Oberg’s program and said programs like it allow organizations to build the skilled workforce needed for a company’s long-term economic success. Other PADLI attendees from Ms. Loew’s team included Danielle Demirovic, Christie DeWitt, Bryan Nilsson and Alex Peterson.
Oberg CEO, Rich Bartek, along with Directors of Manufacturing, Mark Allen and Bill Bell, and Apprentice Training Lead, Steve Garia, were present to congratulate each graduate at the ceremony and to award them with their Journeyworker certificate.
Oberg extends our congratulations and looks forward to celebrating continued success with this talented group of graduates. For additional details, click here.
Oberg Receives Seven Seals Award from ESGR
PITTSBURGH, PA – At an evening ceremony at Pittsburgh’s Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, Oberg was recently presented with the distinguished Seven Seals Award. The award is given at the discretion of the PA Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) chairman to recognize the efforts by a citizen, business or organization whose supportive actions have benefitted all of the Reserve Components in a significant manner and demonstrates outstanding support, commitment and and extreme patriotism to the United States military. While not a final recipient of the organization’s Freedom Award, Oberg Industries was among a very select handful of regional companies nominated for the ESGR distinction. Presented annually to only 15 of the country’s most supportive employers, The Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.
Oberg is honored to receive such recognition and proudly supports its veteran workers. The company has recently partnered with the newly formed Pittsburgh Veteran Employer Coalition, funded by the Heinz Foundation and made up of seven other regional employers including Highmark, Giant Eagle, Pitt Ohio and PNC Financial Services, to collectively promote hiring and retention of veteran talent, and minimize underemployment, by sharing data that will better match available positions to their military experiences.
JA Honors Oberg Industries as 2018 Impact Company of the Year
Junior Achievement of Western PA, founded nearly 80 years ago, recognized Oberg Industries as its Impact Company of the Year this past Wednesday, November 14, at an evening awards ceremony in downtown Pittsburgh with more than 300 guests in attendance. In addition, the organization also honored four individuals for their contributions whose extraordinary efforts have enriched our community. Oberg joins an impressive group of regional firms celebrated over the years by JA. The selection of Oberg for this award recognizes, through the collective efforts of each of its employees, the company’s contributions to the business, social and cultural assets of the Pittsburgh region.
The opening speech for Oberg was delivered by Megan Mitchell, a 9th grade student at Knoch High School and a Junior Achievement alumni. Megan is the daughter of Craig Mitchell, Account Manager at Oberg, and granddaughter of Dennis Mitchell, who retired from Oberg after 38 years of service. She was the perfect candidate who did a great job of introducing the company to the audience and presenting the award to Oberg CEO, Dave Bonvenuto. Megan (shown center left) with event emcee, Rick Dayton of KDKA-TV (right) and Oberg CEO David Bonvenuto.
Learn more about the event on the JA website
Oberg JAA Program Featured in Business Times
FREEPORT, PA – Five years ago, a human resources executive from Oberg Industries and a physics teacher from Highlands High School struck up a conversation at the Southwestern Pennsylvania BotsIQ high school robotics competition.
The talk segued into ways that the two could partner together. Freeport-based Oberg, heavily dependent on area vocational and technical schools for young hires, wanted to broaden the fishing pond to get more candidates, while Highlands High School in Natrona Heights wanted to find new and different opportunities for students who didn’t want to go to college.
That was the genesis of Oberg’s Junior Apprentice Advantage program. JAA is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) initiative offering industry-specific training to qualified 12th-grade students at Highlands. To date, 30 Highlands students have participated, and one-third have been accepted into the precision manufacturer’s state-certified registered apprenticeship program upon graduation, said Linda Wood, Oberg’s training programs manager.
“We have a four-step hiring program, and they have to meet the exact same requirements as the students from technical schools to be accepted into the apprenticeship program,” Wood said. “That hands-on element they get from us helps.”
Download the full press article, with images.
Oberg Honors Inaugural JAA Graduates
FREEPORT, PA – Oberg Industries, a full-service contract manufacturer of precision metal components, tooling and stamping assemblies, proudly recognizes and honors the first graduates of their Junior Apprentice Advantage (JAA) Program.
Oberg is known for their acclaimed Registered Apprenticeship Training Program which was established in the early 1950s to guarantee that the company would have a steady supply of highly skilled professionals. Due to a growing shortage of qualified candidates for advanced manufacturing openings, Oberg partnered with Highlands High School, part of the Highlands School District in nearby Natrona Heights, PA, to create a unique community program to bridge this skilled talent gap and formed the Junior Apprentice Advantage (JAA) program. JAA was designed to directly connect high school students to industry-specific training that mirrors the apprenticeship experience.
The JAA program, offered to Highlands High School seniors, was first introduced during the 2014-2015 school year. Five senior high students participated in a select course of study that was designed to help them develop industry-specific technological skills and begin to immerse them into the industry culture and values. Throughout the school year, JAA students were also given access to Oberg’s manufacturing operations for lesson –specific enrichment and job shadowing experiences that allowed them to work with Oberg’s skilled craftspeople. Students who successfully completed the JAA courses in good academic standing and satisfied Oberg’s apprenticeship entrance requirements would be pre-qualified for hire as full-time Apprentices at Oberg Industries upon graduation. Approximately 15 students will be participating in the JAA Program during the 2015-2016 school year.
David Bonvenuto, Oberg’s President and CEO along with Eric Oberg, Chairman of the Board for Oberg Industries, participated in the Highland’s Senior Awards Day celebration and honored all five JAA students by presenting them with a framed certificate of completion for their JAA work and an offer of employment to work for Oberg Industries. “Both Highlands and Oberg felt strongly that this program would provide each student with a head start toward a challenging and lucrative career in advanced manufacturing,” said Mr. Bonvenuto. “We are glad to be part of this rewarding partnership and look forward to continuing to help students and parents realize that advanced manufacturing is an excellent career choice. We are especially proud of these five young men of the inaugural JAA class who will begin working for us as Oberg Apprentices.”
