Stroud Safety and the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance (OMA) proudly announce the Industrial Sewing Machine Operator Registered Apprenticeship Program. The program, which was developed jointly by Stroud and OMA, will provide the opportunity for Stroud seamstresses to improve their skills and recruit new staff members.
Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Stroud is proud of its female workforce and is at the forefront of creating and building on ways to improve the safety of its customers, which includes considering input from its staff members.
“At Stroud Safety, our family of employees are our most valuable resource,” said Stroud Accounting Manager Daniel Meek. “Investing in this resource with long-term, sustained training is paramount to our success. The apprenticeship program is the logical next step in our evolution to increase our employees’ skills, knowledge, and expertise.”
“A registered apprenticeship program is a great way for Oklahoma manufacturers to create a workforce solution where they can take current employees or recruit students – young people as well as seasoned individuals – and give them a viable career path,” said Dr. Sharon Harrison, OMA’s Director of Workforce Development and Owner of Harrison Consulting Group.
“An apprenticeship program is essentially a ‘learn and earn’ model that’s been proven nationally to lead to better skills and 92-percent retention within the manufacturing industry,” said Dave Rowland, President of the Manufacturing Alliance. “We need to find ways to create a consistent job pipeline. It is the industry’s number one problem.”
The program officially kicked off with a ceremony in December at Stroud Safety in Oklahoma City, OK.
This story was originally published on February 2, 2024. 
