ST CHARLES, Mo. — It can be tough to land a job, and sometimes even tougher to fill one. That's why some area school districts are addressing critical workforce gaps while showing students another path through apprenticeship programs.
Districts in St. Charles County are collaborating to expand Fort Zumwalt's successful apprenticeship program. Administrators said it's a win-win for the community because it gives students hands-on experience, with the hopes of filling traditional trade jobs in the county.
The City of St. Charles School District is one of the districts excited to collaborate. Steve Smith is the Assistant Director of the Lewis & Clark Career Center. A tech center that serves every high school in St. Charles County, where you won't find the traditional classroom.
"You have kids that are coming over here, they want to be part of something else. They want to get out, they want to go and work with their hands. They don't want to be in a classroom all day and they recognize that there are different career paths," he said.
According to Smith, the tech center has something for every student with 15 different programs ranging from welding to auto service to nursing and even early childhood education.
"We're really seeing an increase in the popularity of it. Our enrollment has gone up, our applications have gone up significantly. The interest from surrounding populations from the schools has gone up dramatically," he said.
This popularity in pursuing a different path coming from both the students and the educators. Smith said administrators, like himself, realized not every student fits the college mold.
"The cost of college has skyrocketed. You start to see people looking for other options and saying is it necessary for me to pursue a four-year degree and spend all that money? They can leave here in many instances and not have any school debt and go right out and be contributing members of society," he said.
Now, there's more opportunities to do just that with the districts coming together to expand Fort Zumwalt's program. Andy McHaffie is Fort Zumwalt's Workforce Development Facilitator. He said not only has the program grown in popularity, but the need has, as well.
"Our goal is to have over 300 apprentices in the county, which would make a great impact, as far as financial, also to fill the workforce needs. There's such a great workforce need in advanced manufacturing, so that's our goal is to fill that need," he said.
The district's Department of Labor Registered Youth Apprenticeship Program exposes students to skilled trades and careers by providing paid, on-the-job training with local businesses. McHaffie said the partnerships with the businesses is key and it's incredible to see how the students grow.
"Some of these students come in, and maybe they don't have the confidence, but once they get hired on the position a lot of these companies will mentor them, they really have their back, they really are trying to make them be successful, and that real experience and mentorship really helps them to grow and be successful in their career," he said.
According to McHaffie, the program has over 50 apprentices in fields like welding, carpentry, engineering, and manufacturing. Once they complete the program, students earn a credit toward St. Charles Community College and employers get job-ready employees. Some students come out making close to six-figures. With the program already being so successful, McHaffie believes the skies the limit with the joint-effort among other districts.
"All the school districts in the county are coming together. This is just a joint effort, which is exciting for all of us. We're not in competition with each other. We're looking to really all work together to help our students and to help the county be successful and grow," he said.
Districts will hold a 'Selection Day' in January 2025, where every school will bring apprentice candidates in for interviews and students can be hired on the spot. McHaffie said they are looking to start with 30 students.
You can learn more about the apprenticeship program here.