Plastic packaging manufacturer and recycler Alpla invests in a Learning & Development Hub in Iowa City and introduces the apprenticeship model established in Austria and Germany to the USA.
Skilled labour is urgently needed everywhere. Alpla is therefore now strengthening the training of skilled workers in the USA. To this end, the international packaging and recycling company is investing around 15 million euros in the construction of a Learning & Development Hub in Iowa City.
There Dual skilled labour training, technical training and personnel development be brought together in one place. The building offers space for workshops, offices and training rooms. Completion is planned for mid-2025. Together with Kirkwood Community College and the Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT), Alpla is also realising Dual vocational training in the USA in.
„Highly trained and motivated specialists are key to our success. With this all-in-one concept, we are creating attractive apprenticeships for young people from the region and training facilities for our existing staff.“
Tasos Pourloukakis, Regional Managing Director North America at Alpla
Dual training as a model for success
With the Learning & Development Hub, Alpla is introducing the apprenticeship model established in Austria and Germany to the USA. The Dual system of practical and theoretical training for skilled workers has already been successfully exported to China, Mexico, India, Poland and South Africa. Launched in summer 2024 the first 12 mechatronics apprentices in Iowa City for three years. Plastics technology apprenticeship to follow in 2026. The educational partners are Kirkwood Community College in nearby Cedar Rapids and the Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT).
Source: Alpla
