Spotlight on Apprenticeships
[From L-R: Philip Brown, President & CEO, Marc A. Berman, Production Manager, and Josh Plunkett, Apprentice with Phoenix Mecano, photo by Gillian Grozier]
Frederick County is one of two Maryland school districts to pilot the Youth Apprenticeship Program, a business and education partnership providing paid employment to students during their last two years of high school. The program also addresses the skills gap faced by employers ready to hire. The brainchild of Kelly M. Schulz, Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation for the State of Maryland, the legislation authorizing the program took effect on July 1, 2015. In September, 2016 Frederick County Public Schools applied for, and was accepted into the program. Eight students are now participating.
“We really are breaking barriers for folk,” said FCPS Supervisor of Career and Technology Education Kristine Pearl, PhD. She admits that the program needs to be better understood. “We are still branding it,” she said.
The same concern was repeated by Schulz when she addressed the Board of Education on March 8. “How do we get school districts to adopt an apprenticeship model?” she said. “The goal is to make the program state-wide at the end of two years.”
Schultz takes issue with how the public generally regards apprenticeships. Most have an understanding of how vocational and technical high schools prepare students for careers that do not require a college degree. While this is still true, changes in numerous fields call for competency skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and career opportunities in these fields have sparked career pathways that are exciting and well compensated.
There is a different understanding of apprenticeships in Europe, Schulz said. In Britain and Germany, for instance, apprenticeships are offered in professions such as accounting and law, or in fast developing fields such as biotechnology. Both apprentice and employer are making long-term commitments which include hands-on experience, team building, and guidance from a seasoned mentor. When both employer and apprentice invest in the relationship, the successful outcome adds strength to the enterprise and the employee’s resume.
Participation in the Youth Apprenticeship Program requires a student commitment of 450 hours of work over a two-year period. Students can earn high school credit and entry-level, or minimum wage. To apply, they must at least be 16 and entering their junior year of high school. Apprenticeships start at the beginning of summer, or at the beginning of the first or second semesters of the school year. “This is a well-defined program that benefits students immediately,” Schulz said. “We have created an environment where students can develop lifelong skills and emerge debt-free.”
The legislation does not provide for appropriations, but Schulz said her department has received federal funding for a program navigator. The navigator will be able to determine a pathway, or business plan for each student entering the Youth Apprenticeship Program. She hopes that the program will eventually be able to hire a full-time person for the school district where 60 students can be accepted at any one time.
Schulz said nine Frederick County businesses have received approval from the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council to participate in the Youth Apprenticeship Program. Often people like to hire at high schools from which they, themselves, graduated, she said. These businesses are:
American Computer Development, Inc. (ACDI)
Brunswick Woodworking
Custom Concepts Construction
Holly Hills Country Club
Insul-Tech, Inc.
Frederick Maryland Hospital (FMH)
Pain and Spine Specialists of Maryland
Phoenix Mecano
Woodsboro Bank
Phoenix Mecano offered an apprenticeship to Josh Plunkett through the Youth Apprenticeship Program. Plunkett is a FCPS high school senior who was told of the opportunity by his guidance counselor. The company is a global manufacturer of multiple products with applications to mechanical engineering, measurement and control.
“The DNA of our company is in the production area and warehousing,” Phoenix Mecano’s President and CEO Philip Brown said. “The people who work in these areas are highly valuable. And there is a global deficiency in filling these industrial manufacturing positions today.”
“I see so many young adults who are pushed towards a four-year college without a career direction,” said Marc A. Berman, Phoenix Mecano’s Production Manager and also a scout master. “There’s a lot to be said for having a North Star, a direction you are heading for. Entering an apprenticeship, you can make changes in the future but you do need to come to a decision before you begin.”
Plunkett said he did not have a clear idea about what he wanted to do after high school. When he learned about the opening at Phoenix Mecano and attended an information meeting, he said his response was, “Let me give it a shot.” Kirsten Miller, Human Resources Manager for Phoenix Mecano said when he arrived, Plunkett “had no skills basic to what we do, but approached learning with full openness and a willingness to be taught.” He has never said ‘No,’ she said.
Plunkett works four to five hours per day, five days per week on the production floor, in combination with his high school classes. “I didn’t know manufacturing had so many details,” he said. “Things are different every day, so it’s really fun.”
The Youth Apprenticeship Program is only one option among many. FCPS high school students can apply to participate in specialized programs through the Career and Technology Education Center (CTC) or at their home high school. While high schools offer between five and 10 specialized courses each, the CTC offers 22 different programs, and 169 courses. Pearl supervises 200 teachers.
“This is an outstanding opportunity where students can earn college credit or industry certification,” Pearl said. “We get many more students interested than we can take in. The expectations are high.” At the CTC, students must take four specialized courses in their pathway over the course of their high school careers. Over 7,000 FCPS students participate in some sort of career and technology program at any one time, Pearl said. This number includes the specialized programs offered at FCPS high schools.
