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Apprentice of the Year Award 2020

5 Feb 2020 10:06 AM | Anonymous

      At their fifth annual Ice Gala, held at the Energy Innovation Center on January 25th, the German American Chamber of Commerce Inc. (GACC), Pittsburgh Chapter recognized the Apprentice of the Year Recipients for 2020. The Apprentice of the Year Award is an accolade given to an apprentice who demonstrates extraordinary skills and abilities inside and outside the classroom.

The company’s trainers and the college partner instructors from the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) had the opportunity to provide feedback on the apprentice’s work ethic, training progress, talent, and leadership skills. The nominations were reviewed and scored by a panel of four judges representing education, government, and industry:


  • Jackie Foor (Director of Organizational Advancement, The Consortium of Public Education); 
  • Carol Kilko (Deputy Secretary - Office of Business Financing, PA Department of Community and Economic Development); 
  • John Tkach (Director of Projects, Keystone Development Partnership); and 
  • Callan Wilcox (Vice President, Commercial Banking Executive, Bank of America).

With the accumulation of the four judges’ scores, the result was an exact tie between two outstanding apprentices.

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh would like to congratulate the Apprentice of the Year winners: Andrew Knez, Ensinger Inc. and Jacob Graleski, Impact Guard, LLC.

                When asked about Mr. Knez, Ensinger’s trainer commented, “Andrew is as very dependable, self-motivated, and always willing to be the first to step forward for new challenges. He contributes with true balance across all disciplines: electrical, mechanical, and fabrication.” Justin Starr, Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)’s Mechatronics Instructor and GACC Pittsburgh’s college education partner, remarked, “Andrew is one of the most efficient students in class, which is evident through his ability to delegate and keep tasks on schedule.”

                At Impact Guard, Mr. Graleski’s company trainer commented, “Jacob is continually researching information and studying the appropriate manuals and schematics to improve his knowledge and skills. Specifically, he has made an impact by simplifying procedures to cut time on repairs and to help save money on orders.” Christopher Quick, CCAC’s Mechatronics Instructor for the GACC Pittsburgh’s second Mechatronics class, remarked, “Jacob demonstrates multiple solutions to a question instead of stopping with the first solution that comes to mind.”

                The Ice Gala is an annual fundraising event for the GACC Pittsburgh’s Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship programs. The Apprenticeship Programs are an innovative and industry-led approach, benchmarked on the German Dual Education System, customized for the region, and registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. The programs are the gold standard of a practical educational model developed in conjunction with technology leaders. The GACC Pittsburgh’s Ice Gala provides a platform to celebrate the success and partnership between the apprentices, companies, and educational partners. At the college level of the program, the GACC Pittsburgh’s partnership with CCAC helped develop innovative, work-force and college credited degrees for the Mechatronics, Polymer Technician, Sales Engineer, and CAD/CAM Programmer apprenticeship programs.

The GACC Pittsburgh works closely with CCAC, other key partners, companies, and local high schools to ensure industry-led and relevant curriculum, aligned also with the German-based programs and certifications.

Our top 7 nominees
(from left to right: 
Jacob Graleski (Impact Guard), Andrew Knez (Ensinger), Jacob Carney (Ensinger), Alexander Holup (rose plastic), Rachel Mauer (GACC Pittsburgh), Lisa Conturo (GACC Pittsburgh), Dustin Litz (Veka Inc.), Christopher Hutchins (AUMA) and Taylor Coulter (Veka Inc.).

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