NCBCE Celebrates Apprenticeships and Youth Pre-Apprenticeships at Annual Meeting
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The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), the non-profit organization that includes work-based learning initiatives like Building Bright Futures, LiNC-IT, and Tech Team, held its 2024 Annual Meeting on November 21 at RTI International. The event featured "A Salute to Governor Cooper," highlighting his support of NCBCE's initiatives. Governor Cooper, through a video message, recognized the scope of NCBCE's work in connecting the state's business community with students in local high school and community college classrooms. This crucial connection positions North Carolina to continue building a strong workforce and remaining one of the top states for business and economic growth.
At the meeting, participants from a number of NCBCE's initiatives spoke about their work-based learning and how those experiences help them reach their career goals. Many of the students began learning about career options in middle school and, later in high school, took advantage of the pre-apprenticeship-to-apprenticeship pathway through their high school and local community college. From Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, Ester Duff, Workforce Development Director, and Yessenia Henriquez, a recently-graduated ECE apprentice, shared with the audience their experience with apprenticeship. Ester emphasized how an apprenticeship program has helped the school build up its workforce pipeline through providing invaluable educational opportunities, mentorship, and training. Yessenia had an interest in early childhood from a young age and was eager to join Charlotte Bilingual's apprenticeship program as she worked toward earning her ECE credentials. Yessenia completed her apprenticeship earlier this year and now serves as the Workforce Development Coordinator for the school, supporting its next cohort of ECE apprentices.
The Annual Meeting was also a chance for NCBCE to showcase NC Career Launch (NCCL), a statewide youth pre-apprenticeship system for high school students that is the result of a grant NCBCE secured this year from the U.S. Department of Labor. In collaboration with both national and statewide stakeholders, NC Career Launch will put students on the path to careers with growth and a living wage. These youth pre-apprenticeship programs will blend work-based learning with aligned classroom instruction and mentorship, resulting in an industry-recognized credential or college credit. Industries included in NCCL include early childhood education (ECE), healthcare, advanced manufacturing, among others. Youth pre-apprentices in ECE who begin in high school receive support through NCCL, then, if they choose to continue into apprenticeship following high school graduation, can continue receiving support through Building Bright Futures - up to the completion of an associate degree! Anyone interested in learning more about youth pre-apprenticeships in ECE can contact Morgan Ford (morgan.ford@nc.gov) or Megan Johnson (megan.johnson@nc.gov).
Thank you to the NCBCE members, board members, partnering organizations, and students for making 2024 another year filled with successes and achievements!
Learn more about NCBCE's initiatives.