Gaston College Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week
National Apprenticeship Week’s 10th anniversary will begin on November 17, 2024. This milestone celebration spotlights apprenticeship programs across the country, including Gaston’s Apprenticeship 321 Program, which started in 2015.
With 28 diverse pathways and 27 employer partners, Apprenticeship 321 has become a cornerstone of career development at Gaston College. Joy Morrow, the college’s Director of Apprenticeships and Work-Based Learning, explains the program’s appeal:
“It’s a growing program because students are learning theory and the basics in the classroom and applying it on the job with the company that has hired them as an apprentice,” Morrow said. “Students also learn specific on-the-job skills at that company with a designated mentor. The benefit for the employer is getting a trained employee.”
Gaston College partners with companies of all sizes in Gaston and Lincoln counties to create opportunities for students. These apprenticeships span one to four years and offer pathways into fields such as Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive, IT Support, and Health Care.
Recognizing the program’s impact, Gaston College president Dr. John Hauser recently issued a proclamation to “call upon educators and industry partners to recognize the value of Registered Apprenticeships, and to promote industry awareness and expansion during the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week.”
What sets Apprenticeship 321 apart is its unique blend of education and employment. Apprentices earn credit hours towards graduation while receiving a paycheck and gaining invaluable work experience. Morrow noted that the program isn’t the same for every employer and needs to work for both the company and the students.
“A company I recently talked to wanted their apprentices to work at least 32 hours,” Morrow said. “If they want to work more they can, but the employer has to work around their school schedule. I have another employer who hires apprentices full-time, so they work part-time and go to school part-time. So they are getting paid to be in class.”
The benefits of this program are shared by both apprentices and employers. Students receive hands-on training, while companies cultivate a workforce tailored to their evolving needs.
“Employers have three ways to recruit for the program,” Morrow said. “You can recruit from the general public, recruit internally within the company, or recruit through the pre-apprentice program high school program. The benefit of recruiting through the pre-apprenticeship program is that companies receive an incentive for hiring a pre-apprentice within 120 days of them graduating High School. Instead of the partnering company being responsible for the new apprentice’s tuition, the full tuition will be covered by the NC Community College System until they complete their academic studies.”
“The benefit of hiring internal employees is that you already know their work ethic and their skill set. By promoting a current employee through the apprenticeship program and paying for their education, it builds morale and the sense of appreciation in the company.”
Austin Price, Gaston College’s Welding Program Chair, has been at the college for five years and likes to emphasize the program’s practical approach. “Basically, the main thing we do is allow students to work in the industry and get credit for it,” said Price. “Employers are having a really hard time meeting the demand for skilled laborers. So they’re more inclined to work with us.”
Eric Rhom, Automotive Program Chair at Gaston College, sees immense potential in the apprenticeship model. “There’s a lot of potential in this program,” said Rhom, who has been at Gaston College for 28 years. “People have got to become familiar with it, hear about it and learn about it. While Big manufacturing is big time into the apprenticeship program, for car dealerships and the local garages, this is a new thing. We’ve done co-op or work-based learning with them, but apprenticeship is a totally different ballgame.”
The impact of Apprenticeship 321 extends beyond the classroom. Lothar Burger, president and CEO of KNOLL America, which is set to open a plant near Gaston College’s campus, shares his personal experience with apprenticeships:
“To me, the apprenticeship program is the way to go,” said Burger, a native of Germany who came to the United States in 1996 and has worked with Gaston College’s program for two years. “I like the program because I did it and now I’m running a huge company in America. I credit the apprenticeship program with giving me a good springboard to learn the business in the field while getting a higher education. It’s real-life situations and not just hypothetical training out of a book. It’s hands-on training.”
Apprenticeship programs create pathways to success for students while helping to meet the needs of local industries, proving that when education and industry collaborate, everyone wins.
To learn more about Gaston’s Apprenticeship 321 program, visit gaston.edu/apprenticeship-321.
More information about National Apprenticeship Week can be found at apprenticeship.gov/national-apprenticeship-week.
Gaston College Apprenticeship 321 Program Staff visit a local Bosch facility to share more about the benefits of the Apprenticeship Program.
