The Industrial Maintenance Residency (IMR)
The McLeod Health Care Industrial Maintenance Residency Program Pilot
Florence, South Carolina
South Carolina’s McLeod Health Care partnered with HFFI in the spring and summer of 2024 to pilot an apprenticing program on-site at their hospital in Florence, SC. The hospital is an impressive facility – over 2,000,000 square feet with extremely complex facility support systems. Nine youth completed a rigorous program of working alongside McLeod staff in HVAC, plumbing, construction, power generation etc. Several of the youth are now McLeod
employees.
The program was so successful that McLeod has expanded the initiative to seven other McLeod hospitals across the state.
Hear More about the Program
Landon Blakely
McLeod Industrial Maintenance Resident, from Hannah Pamplico High School
“There's a guy his name is Mr. David and he's been the real person that I like to follow and go around with. He's took me all the way from the 12th floor, all the way to the basement and he's explained every single piece to me why this pipe is this color, why this pipe is this size. It's really helped me realize that he knows what he's talking about and how every little piece works, why this pump is this color and why that pump is that color. He explained every little piece to me and that really helped me kind of understand how the other guys do their job because you got to know all these little pieces and he's very knowledgeable.”
Expanding the Industrial Maintenance Residency (IMR) Program to Other Organizations
Partner with the Industrial Maintenance Residency Program (IMR) to mentor, train, and build the future workforce your industry needs.
The Industrial Maintenance Residency (IMR)
The Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative (HFFI) has developed an opportunity for industry to both serve their community’s youth, and their own workforce development needs. HFFI has been connecting youth interested in the skilled trades to apprenticing experiences with mentors in the workplace for almost ten years now. In response to an expressed need from industry to bring that expertise to bear in their facilities maintenance workforce needs, we have partnered with targeted industries to create an Industrial Maintenance Residency.
Skilled Trades as a Post-Secondary Career Path in Industrial Maintenance
Youth interested in the skilled trades as a post-secondary career path have the opportunity to intern on site with the facility’s maintenance staff, working alongside staff who serve as mentors in their particular field. This encompasses all aspects of what it takes to keep a large commercial facility functioning – HVAC, plumbing, electrical, power generation, custodial, construction, landscape design and maintenance, etc. Health care, hospitality, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, property management, office buildings, etc. all have vital maintenance needs. This is an opportunity for youth to be exposed to rewarding career possibilities, and for industry to cultivate potential employees.
The IMR is a summer program that targets rising 12th and graduating seniors.
However, HFFI is able to partner with any existing workforce development programs. We are extremely flexible in designing each partnership to best serve the facility.
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HFFI has the expertise to recruit appropriate youth, work with their teachers, counselors and family to provide necessary support, vet their qualifications, track their progress and assess the program.
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HFFI will provide a scholarship to all youth successfully completing the program*.
Industry partners are expected to:
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Provide genuine mentorship to the youth – skilled workers who take these youth under their wing to show them what it means to be a professional, give them real and meaningful work, and welcome them into their professional community.
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Provide at least 60 hours of on-site apprenticing experience.
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Work with HFFI to develop an effective process for orientation and on-boarding.
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Provide either an hourly stipend, or a matching $500 award to successful Fellows.
*Successful Fellowship completion involves fulfilling all the required terms of the Fellowship per the Fellowship Agreement in attendance, attitude, safety adherence, document submission as well as time served.