Female EGGER apprentices travel to Washington, DC, to meet with business, government leaders
Two EGGER Wood Products apprentices recently had the opportunity to meet with international business leaders and government officials in Washington, D.C., to share their experiences as women in manufacturing and discuss the impact of apprenticeship on their career paths.
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EGGER apprentices Rossana Najar and Laura Brown participated in panel sessions at the Swiss Embassy and at the Capitol Hill Senate Offices in Washington, D.C., as part of a series of apprenticeship-focused events for National Apprenticeship Week during Nov. 14-20. The pair fielded questions on strategies for success when working in a male-dominated industry and the role of mentorship in apprentice programs.
EGGER opened its first North American facility in Lexington in 2020 in Linwood in Davidson County.
"As a woman, you don't want to feel like you need a man to help you because you feel weak,” said Najar, a second-year apprentice. "With the right confidence and the right mindset, you can go as far as you want to go."
Brown, a first-year apprentice, weighed in on the mentorship involved in the apprentice learning model.
"We have a lot of support. We have all of our trainers, and they are all great,” Brown said. “We also have the older apprentices, who have been in our shoes. They have stood there, and they know how you feel."
A familiar educational model in Europe, apprenticeship is attracting new interest in the U.S. Organized collaboratively by the Austrian and Swiss embassies, the week’s events were intended to promote the apprenticeship model and serve as a learning opportunity for Swiss and Austrian companies interested in developing new apprenticeship programs or further developing existing programs.
Jonathon Stephens, plant manager for finance/administration, also represented EGGER for the panel sessions, relaying the company’s experience launching its apprenticeship program in North Carolina, while simultaneously building its first U.S. manufacturing plant.
"It was interesting to hear about other companies’ experiences with apprenticeships,” said Stephens. “Although at EGGER we are very familiar with apprenticeships and have very highly regarded programs across the company, our program in the U.S. is of course quite new.”
The Lexington facility graduated its first class of six apprentices this past spring, with 34 apprentices currently in training. Stephens says the program will continue to grow.
This number will only increase as we start accepting applications for our next class in December,” he said. “We know first-hand the real potential for apprenticeships and how important they are.”
The trip was Najar and Brown’s first time to Washington, D.C.
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Jill Doss-Raines is The Dispatch trending topics and personality profiles senior reporter and is always looking for tips about businesses and entertainment events, secret and new menu items, and interesting people in Davidson County. Contact me at jill.doss-raines@the-dispatch.com and subscribe to us at the-dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Lexington-based EGGER apprentices travel to Washington, DC, to meet with business, government leaders
