JERSEY CITY, NJ — Eastern Millwork, a 30-year-old custom woodworking company, has embraced technology to automate high-end manufacturing and installation, as well as train new employees. 

EMI’s company focus is to employ technological innovations and individuals to deliver value without sacrificing quality. This is why the company began the Holz-Technik program, to be able to hire those who want to work in the field. 

The program started in 2019 with a partnership between Hudson County Community College (HCCC) and EMI to develop and implement a joint federally registered apprenticeship program. Apprentices that complete this earn-while-you-learn program will climb the career ladder at EMI and acquire a degree without any college debt. 

EMI takes them through the entire process at the very beginning, learning basic information about wood, understanding how to illustrate the architecture, how to mechanize the process and then how machinery works from the inside and then operating it from a base level. 

“What makes us unique is our engineering,” says Heiko Sieling, EMI’s Chief Operating Officer, “this is one example of how we do things and why we need specific and willing-to-learn engineers.” 

As employees of EMI, the apprentices can earn a $24,500 salary to start while they learn, including full health benefits and 401(k). The apprentices will earn an Associate in Science in advanced manufacturing from HCCC and a Bachelor of Science in technical studies from Thomas Edison State University with no college debt as they climb in their EMI careers. By the end of their program, they can earn up to $70,000. 

Isaiah Montalvo, one of the EMI employees, said that his apprenticeship started right out of high school. “I took a couple months precursor course at High-Tech to get familiar with the material and went straight into working. From there, we came to EMI and enrolled in Hudson County Community College.” He states that the experienced craftsmen take you under their wing and show you the hands-on aspect of the machines and building materials. 

The partnership reflects the HCCC’s expansion of its workforce development program, and Eastern Millwork’s training capabilities in advanced manufacturing.

One of the projects in motion is the building of a new justice complex in Jersey City. EMI is in the process of finishing bullet-proof podiums and benches for the courtrooms. 

“We expect this to be the biggest project within Hudson County by far," Campbell stated, "it's all being built with our apprentices at Eastern Millwork.”
 

Sieling emphasized that EMI developed the apprenticeship program with HCCC to supply their needs for human capital. EMI needed to build a pipeline of workers who are specifically trained in the skills that the millwork factory needed. The big piece is finding partners in education that were interested in being flexible and interested in a new way of delivering education: at HCCC, EMI found that partner.