Cristina Llamas says she’s getting a head-start on her career. Danny Bonilla now knows what he wants to do once he graduates. And both agree that their classmates were pretty shocked when they found out the two high school juniors were spending half of each school day working at Plastic Recycling Inc.
“My classmates don’t get as much real-world experience,” Cristina says. “They were pretty impressed.”
Danny and Cristina are working at Plastic Recycling as part of the Modern Apprenticeship Program (MAP), a three-year program that matches high school students with companies willing to train them for future careers. Both Danny and Cristina are apprentices in the advanced manufacturing and logistics industries.
The hands-on career training through apprenticeships like MAP gives students skills, experience and, in most cases, certifications that will help them start a career when they graduate or continue for post-secondary attainment. If MAP participants do go on to additional schooling after high school, many do so with a year of college credits in hand.
Working in paid positions, MAP participants spend about 10 to 15 hours a week with the employer during their junior year and up to 20 hours their senior year, with an option to go full time after they graduate.
Cristina and Danny work at Plastic Recycling’s westside Indianapolis plant, which converts plastic waste into raw materials used by a range of businesses. Although they work in very different roles at the company, they have enjoyed similar benefits from the experience.
Cristina knew she was interested in business, but she didn’t have a good sense of what specific career area to pursue. Urged by a friend to check into apprenticeships, she read the job description for a human resources position at Plastic Recycling and felt that she could see herself in the role, and that a career in human resources could be meaningful.
Once at Plastic Recycling’s facility, the Ben Davis High School student was won over by the welcoming staff. “I expected them to shoo me off, because I’m a young person,” she said. “But they were very accepting.”
Also eye-opening was how much the firm has included Cristina in everything the HR team does, which has been especially educational, she says. For example, she has been involved in many real-world HR scenarios such as sitting in on interviews for a new plant manager. Some of her favorite moments on the job come when she simply walks the floor of the facility and talks to other employees.
“We’re very diverse here, so you see people from all walks of like,” she said. “That really brings me joy.”
As an extrusion operator, Danny, a Pike High School student, is getting to do the kinds of hands-on work he loves, and he appreciates ongoing opportunities to learn new things. Like Cristina, he was impressed by how quickly other workers accepted him, and by how eager they are to teach him the ropes.
“They have so much knowledge, and they learn to pass it on to you,” he said.
Danny first learned about the MAP program through a postcard he received last year, and he saw it as a good opportunity to get a sense of what he might want to do with his future. “I just knew I wanted to do something hands-on,” he said. “Now I know this is what I want to be.”
It’s also rewarding to know that they bring something unique to Plastic Recycling. The company’s Chief Personnel Officer, Chad Smith, tells them that they bring a fresh energy to the workplace as well as tangible skills: Danny has helped shop veterans learn about newer equipment, Chad says, and, as a Spanish speaker, Cristina serves as a translator between the company and some of its employees.
“When you tell a team of veterans that there’s a 16-year-old coming to work with them, they have certain expectations,” Chad says. “But Cristina and Danny have blown those expectations out of the water.”
The Modern Apprenticeship Program was developed by EmployIndy and Ascend Indiana. Conexus Indiana partners with MAP to help prepare young talent for careers in advanced manufacturing and logistics. Learn more.
