Partnerships with Yavapai College | Workforce Training
Learn how Yavapai College partners with regional employers to provide mining internships, apprenticeships and career-focused workforce training.
Partnerships with Yavapai College
Yavapai College works with regional employers to prepare students for high-demand careers through classroom instruction, paid work experience and industry-informed training.
The Bagdad Mine partnership
In 2007, leadership at the Bagdad Mine, then Phelps-Dodge and now Freeport-McMoRan, recognized a need for more qualified candidates and reached out to Yavapai College for training assistance. Together, the organizations developed programs in three key areas:
- Diesel mechanics
- Electrical and instrumentation technology
- Industrial plant technology
During the first three years of the partnership, all three programs were closed to the general public. Prospective students completed an interview process with Bagdad leadership and were hired before beginning school.
Yavapai College hired Ron Luellan for diesel, Rick Peters for electrical and instrumentation, and Chuck Allmon for industrial plant technology to build the programs from the ground up. The internship program continued through the transition from Phelps-Dodge to Freeport-McMoRan and remains an important part of the partnership.
How the internship works
Students interested in one of the three mining programs complete Freeport-McMoRan’s application and hiring process before beginning school.
Student and employee
Interns participate as full-time students and part-time Freeport-McMoRan employees.
Education support
Freeport-McMoRan pays tuition and book costs as interns complete their two-year degrees.
Classroom and jobsite
Interns attend classes two to three days each week and work two 10-hour shifts each week.
Combining formal instruction with on-the-job training has proven highly effective. The partnership later expanded to include an apprenticeship program through which eligible current Freeport-McMoRan employees work full time while attending Yavapai College part time.
A model for employer partnerships
The Bagdad internship program became a model for other businesses seeking qualified candidates. Yavapai College has worked with employers including:
- Asarco Mining
- Canyon AeroConnect
- Drake Cement
- Printpack
- Salt River Materials Group
These collaborations have helped train students and connect them with career opportunities throughout the region.
Featured partners
Visit these partner websites to learn more about their organizations.
