First Apprentice Completes NPGA’s Apprenticeship Program

Bottom line: NPGA’s Apprenticeship Program is a tool to attract new employees to your company.

On August 16, Parker Ostendorff of Palmetto Propane became the first apprentice to complete NPGA’s Apprenticeship Program, successfully fulfilling the requirements for the service technician pathway. Parker began his journey as a part-time service technician assistant with Palmetto in 2019, but quickly developed a passion for the industry and transitioned to full-time.

The Registered Apprenticeship Program is a great opportunity to address your company’s workforce needs, with statistics showing a high retention rate: 94% of apprentices remain with their employer. Both new hires and existing employees are eligible to enroll in the program.

Stephen Lever, Palmetto Propane’s Vice President of Operations, has seen firsthand the value of using NPGA’s Apprenticeship Program. “We began using the program as a tool to help attract employees to our company. The program provided us with a platform that we could use to show potential employees a path for advancement,” Lever said. “It also helped us advance employees that were already employed with us. I like that it is measured by competency and requires the employee to learn and demonstrate that they understand the tasks.”

To learn more about how your company and employees can enroll in the program, visit NPGA’s Apprenticeship webpage or e-mail Eric Sears at [email protected]

Photo: Parker Ostendorff receives his Certificate of Completion from Joey Swittenberg (Director of Operations).