Wall Colmonoy Launches State-Funded Furnace Apprenticeship Program in Los Lunas, NM

Wall Colmonoy is building the next generation of a skilled furnace workforce by launching a three-year Furnace Apprenticeship Program at its Los Lunas, NM, facility. In partnership with the University of New Mexico-Valencia, Americas Job Center Los Lunas, and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, this state-funded apprenticeship program is designed to train and develop skilled furnace operators through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on experience.

"People know we are here, but they do not really know what we do," said Angelica Ordonez, Human Resources Manager at Wall Colmonoy. "It is a unique environment-a foundry where we melt metal. When we saw the need to recruit more furnace operators, we partnered with New Mexico Workforce Solutions and UNM-Valencia to build a pipeline of skilled talent."

Apprentices begin with a rotating schedule during the first year, spending three weeks on the job followed by one week of classroom learning at the UNM-Valencia Workforce Training Center. After the first year, apprentices transition into full-time work, continuing their development across four key areas of furnace operations: Charge Making, Processing, Ladle Room, and the Melt Deck.

Apprentices are paid throughout the program and supported with resources such as tuition assistance and wage reimbursement.

"This program puts the company's future workforce in its own hands," said Ordonez. "We are training people the way we want them to work: hands-on, dependable, and ready to grow."

For more information contact:

Wall Colmonoy

550 Sand Sage Road

Los Lunas, NM 87031

505-866-0101

wcc@wallcolmonoy.com

www.wallcolmonoy.com