Project Coordinators, from left, Vickie Stephens and Teri McClendon with HAZMAT training gear.

Safety — 3

Scholarship
The IAM Scholarship program was set up in 1962. Scholarship recipients are awarded one- to four-year scholarships valued at $2,000 - $8,000 each. Only members and children/stepchildren of members are eligible to compete for the scholarships.

An average of 800 applications are received each year. An outside committee of educators chooses the winners and an average of 16 scholarships are awarded annually. Changes in the policy allowing one vocational school scholarship to be awarded from each territory has been well received and increased the applications from our local lodges.

Since the primary funding is through our local and district lodges, itis hoped that our lodges will continue or reinstate the recommended $.50 per year per member contribution that was established by past convention resolutions. As the cost of education rises and the demand for scholarships increases, financial support from our lodges is essential to meet these needs.

Secretaries Carrie Anderson and Belinda Younger.

Apprenticeship
The trend in the decline of apprenticeship activities in the IAM continues. As the manufacturing sector goes, so do apprenticeships. The shift of federal dollars that historically supported apprenticeships has also been reduced or eliminated in many programs altogether. Even support through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds has been drastically reduced.

But this Department has worked with a few of our lodges and employers to implement new apprenticeship programs. Employers who have the long-term commitment to stay in business and a willingness to invest in apprenticeships can prepare to replace their journeypersons who will be retiring. We encourage our lodges to promote apprenticeships with their employers and to utilize the services of the department to assist in developing the language and structure of an IAM apprenticeship program.

We must not stop fighting for our companies to invest in the apprenticeship system. It is essential to have a national commitment from our governments and industry to protect our manufacturing base. The use of foreign skilled labor is not a realistic approach to addressing this problem if companies are committed to their communities and workers. Until that national commitment is made, the declining trend in manufacturing and apprenticeships will continue.

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