MILTON, W.Va. (AP) — As many industries across West Virginia are still dealing with worker shortages, Blenko Glass in Milton has been working for the past year with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship and the West Virginia Department of Economic Development to build and implement the first registered glass worker apprenticeship in West Virginia.
Recently, 12 workers at the 129-year-old glassmaking company signed up for the program during a celebratory signing ceremony.
“The apprentice program at Blenko is critical to our mission of preserving West Virginia’s glassmaking history,” said David Wertz, a site operations director at Blenko Glass. “Without a constant stream of well trained apprentice glassworkers, we are at risk of simply being snuffed out of the trade entirely. This means we will have a future and a chance to survive another 100 years and a chance to preserve the legacy of making glass here in West Virginia.”
While the demand for Blenko Glass remains strong, Wertz said establishing a program that incentivizes workers and recognizes them for their unique skills will help the company to recruit and retain its employees.