The Allegan County Tech Center has been working to partner with the Wayland Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (JATC) to build a School-to-Registered-Apprenticeship (STRA) program for the Allegan Area ESA.
With the collaboration and agreement of local school districts, senior students will be able to use half their year working as an apprentice, earning money, attending class, and clocking hours for a journeyman’s card.
This STRA program, nicknamed Dual Enrollment for the Trades, will be for students interested in the Construction Trades. Applicants will initially be vetted through the Tech Center’s Building Trades 1 program. Upon high school graduation, students would remain in the program and become a registered apprentice through the U.S. Department of Labor.
Career Technical Education (CTE) sets students up for future success and the Allegan Tech Center is looking for ways to add to what they offer the students of Allegan County.
“The partnership of offering an apprenticeship with Wayland Carpenter and Millwrights Training Center provides an opportunity for students in Allegan County to gain skills in high-skill, high-demand careers,” said Tech Center Director Rich Okoniewski. “Students who finish their first year in the Building Trades 1 program have an opportunity to increase their skills with free post-secondary training while also being paid to work.”
This program is fully funded through the partnership, with no tuition/book costs to the students. Students are also paid for both the time at the worksite and in the classroom.
Dual Enrollment for the Trades kicks off later this spring.
This is a terrific idea! There is a dire need right now for employees in the skilled trades . There is a need to expand this program to include all skilled trades, pipefitters, electricians, machine repair, ect.
These are very good paying steady jobs that don’t require the huge debt load of a college education.
It has always irritated me that our schools have made such a push for the need of a college education to make a good living. Today we see the results of this as so many millennials living in their parents basements or on public assistance unable to support themselves with their all but worthless university diploma. It saddens me that I see so many of these cases personally.
Sorry folks but the the reality is hard work never hurt anyone. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Young people out there, don’t drink the kool-aid your guidance counselors are trying to give you, college is not your only option.
Chip manufacturing is a large investment coming back to this country and we are going to need about one hundred thousand workers in the future to fill these positions. Chip technicians should also be a alternative to community college and school tech centers. They can earn the credits and start a career right after high School.