By Rilyn Eischens, News Leader
FISHERSVILLE – Three Augusta County high school seniors participated in a signing ceremony Wednesday – but none of them are going on to play college sports.
The students committed to apprenticeship programs at Valley Career and Technical Center’s First Annual Youth Apprenticeship Signing, an event educators and employers hope will raise awareness of the opportunities available to students who pursue skilled trades.
“We all hear about the skill shortage, the aging workforce. And It’s important to spread the word and share … where we’re able to close that skill shortage [and] gap,” said Scott Gochenour, director of adult education and apprenticeship at VCTC.
Wilson Memorial High School senior Hunter Fitzgerald and Riverheads High School senior Chase Reed have started apprenticeships with industrial company Rexnord in Stuarts Draft, and Fort Defiance High School senior Iliya Mezin is training at Vailes Home Improvement Services in Fishersville.
An apprenticeship “combines on-the-job training, provided by the employer that hires the apprentice, with job-related instruction in curricula tied to the attainment of national skills standards,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Apprentices are paid from the beginning of the apprenticeship, earning an average starting wage of $15.
These students are entering four-year apprenticeships but will have completed the first two years of training by the time they graduate high school this spring, Gochenour said during the event. They’ll earn nationally recognized credentials in their respective industries when they complete the apprenticeship.
All three students said they’re most looking forward to continuing their educations with this post-secondary opportunity – and excited about the money.
Skilled trades offer steady work in high-paying fields, Gochenour said. For example, carpenters, plumbers and machinists earned median salaries upward of $44,000 in 2017, according to the Department of Labor.
But an international shortage of skilled workers has plagued businesses for more than a decade. Chuck Vailes, owner of Vailes Home Improvement Services, said the stigma around vocational education and trade work contributes to this issue.
“It has sort of a connotation of being a dirty job,” he said during the event. “That whole concept has got to change, and it starts here.”
Despite these workforce difficulties, the ceremony had a positive tone as local officials, educators and industry professionals celebrated the students’ accomplishments.
“This prepares us for the future,” said Luiz Rodriguez, who initiated the partnership between Rexnord and VCTC. “Starting with Chase and Hunter, it’s a breath of fresh air. We’ve been looking for people for a long time … Welcome to the Rexnord family.”
“We only want your best. And I know we’ve got one of the best … These are smart kids,” Vailes said.
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