CHILLICOTHE — U.S. Paper Mill has won state approval for a 6,000-hour apprenticeship program to train electrical maintenance technicians at its Chillicothe facility, adding a formal workforce pipeline to the plant’s revival.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services recently approved the program and welcomed the company as a new ApprenticeOhio sponsor, according to a community announcement. The designation places the apprenticeship in the federal Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database System, known as RAPIDS.
The company currently has six apprentices enrolled — all of them former employees of the closed Pixelle Specialty Solutions plant. Company officials expect the apprentices to complete the program in 2027, with two graduating in the spring, two in the summer and two in the fall.
The approval follows U.S. Paper Mill’s restart of production at the former Pixelle mill, where the company has said it plans to hire hundreds of workers. The apprenticeship gives the mill a structured path to develop the skilled electrical technicians needed to keep its paper machines running for years to come.
