WAUSAU — The state Department of Workforce Development is touting its apprenticeship program that helps train 10,000 workers at more than 2,000 companies a year.

The Wausau Daily Herald reported Thursday (http://tiny.cc/7zpdvw ) that department secretary Reggie Newson was promoting the program at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau.

Newson said during the Wednesday visit that it's important to raise awareness of the program because the number of participating businesses and workers has been declining, even as the need for skilled workers has increased.

"We really want to get more young people and more adult workers into the apprenticeship program because it is an opportunity to move into the middle class," Newson said.

Apprenticeship is an employer-sponsored, work-based training program in which a student works under the direction of a qualified journeyman. The student combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction, typically provided by the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Businesses that sponsor apprentices gain employees who are trained to fit the specific needs in their facilities and on their equipment, while apprentices gain workforce experience, Newson said.

Once they finish training, apprentices earn a nationally recognized credential and typically become eligible for promotion in their respective companies, he said.

Apprenticeships are most commonly available in the traditional construction, service and industrial trades — electricians, plumbers, carpenters, cosmetologists, maintenance mechanics and utility line workers.

Brandon Ziolkowski, 26, has been a student in NTC's industrial electrical and instrumentation apprenticeship program for about a year. He works as an apprentice at NewPage's mill in Wisconsin Rapids.

"It's a great opportunity to learn the skills before jumping into the workplace," Ziolkowski said.

The DWD's outreach effort will include videos, postcards and display ads, billboards throughout the state and tool kits given directly to companies the agency thinks could benefit from the apprenticeship program.