Idaho Forest Group | idaho@work

Billie Jo Spencer, a filer bencher apprentice at the Moyie Springs sawmill near Bonners Ferry for Idaho Forest Group (IFG), has been moving up the pay scale by increasing her job skills through IFG and Idaho Department of Labor apprenticeship programs.

Billie Jo Spencer

The Moyie Springs mill produces about 200 million board feet of dimension lumber products per year. It requires a skilled work force to keep the mill running smoothly and efficiently, IFG officials say.

Spencer started working for IFG 12 years ago, driving a fork lift. She completed the Filer-Fitter apprenticeship a couple years ago, and she’s working on her second apprenticeship as a saw filer.

“I’m always learning something,” she says. “I’m putting teeth in the saws and welding the shoulders.”

There are three levels of being a filer bencher, Spencer says. She’s on level one right now, and hopes to continue to move up to the higher levels. IFG mills are highly automated for efficiency. At the Moyie mill, raw logs are rough-cut by special machinery as they enter the mill on a conveyer belt. Farther down the line, the large blocks of wood are sawed into stud lumber in 8- and 9-foot- long sections. Continue reading →

After the recession forced Idaho Forest Group to curtail operations and layoff workers, the company received $378,400 in Idaho Workforce Development Training Funds to recover 126 of skilled workers lost during the downturn, at an average wage of $13.68 per hour.

Idaho Forest Group employees received training in safety, quality monitoring, time management, work organization, teamwork, communications, problem solving and lean manufacturing and processes.

“Although some are industry-specific, all of these skills are valued by the majority of employers,” said Beti Becker, vice president of human resources for Idaho Forest Group. “Some employees are novices with little experience. These skills are a foundation to build on for their careers.”

Today, newly hired entry level employees at Idaho Forest Group advance from $12 to $14 within 90 days, and from there, continue to advance to an average wage of $18. Employees who pursue additional skills such as industrial mechanics and electricians can earn $25 to $32 per hour.

“Although the economy has recovered, state workforce training funds allowed for industry specific training in technical, electrical, mechanical and industrial equipment operation that would not have otherwise been feasible due to costs,” Becker said. “It also allowed us to train a broader segment of our workforce in the principles of lean manufacturing.”

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