White House Recognizes Oberg's Apprentice Program with Award

Washington, DC – Oberg Industries received the Presidential “Pledge to America’s Workers” Award today, in recognition of its long-established apprenticeship development program.  Oberg was one of only 9 companies, out of 440, selected nationally for the inaugural award by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor for organizations demonstrating excellence in workforce training through their Pledge to America’s Workers commitment.  The campaign is part of the Administration’s initiative to employers supporting the millions of workers who need assistance right now while building a resilient, agile workforce for the future. Fellow recipients included Lockheed Martin, Volkswagen USA, and Textron Inc.

“We’re honored that the Council has recognized our distinguished apprentice program as one that supports the National objective of training and retraining the workers needed across high-demand industries.” said Mark Paolillo, CEO of Oberg Industries.  “Since its inception in the early 1950s, nearly 1,000 highly-skilled machinists have graduated through the company’s 4-year paid apprentice program to successful careers in the industry.  Our continued commitment to it highlights our vision for the growth of the company and the American economy,” Paolillo added.

At Oberg’s expanded Apprentice Training Center in Freeport, PA, (shown l to r) apprentice lead Tim Harmon, apprentices Michael Savage, Kameron Ramer, Shannon Bittinger, and Nick Dilick, director of apprentice training and development.

“On behalf of the president, I am honored to award nine extraordinary organizations the Pledge to America’s Workers Award for their commitment to the exceptionalism of the American worker and for their steadfast resolve to equip their employees with the tools to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Ivanka Trump, adviser to the president.

This summer, Oberg expanded its Apprentice Training Center to add more CNC machining centers and simulators as well as enlarging classroom and instructor space to accommodate more apprentices.  There are currently 61 active apprentices in the program and the company plans to add 30 apprentices yearly, as part of its pledge, to accommodate projected growth and compensate for retiring workers.

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