New Video Provides a Cinematic Look at Registered Youth Apprenticeship in Washington State.
SEATTLE, WA-Washington State Governor Jay Inslee calls it the “supply train for the supply chain”. Aerospace and advanced manufacturing employers see it as a competitive advantage for pipeline development. High school students use it to gain real-world skills while earning a paycheck and college credits. Youth Apprenticeship’s benefits may be endless, but its story is just beginning.
The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC), now in its tenth year, has partnered with the emerging online educational platform, Edge Factor to develop new Youth Apprenticeship resources for rich, engaging content that can be used statewide with school districts, employers, and students across the country.
Edge Factor works with communities across North America to inspire and build pipelines of talent entering specific industry sectors. Their workforce development experts and storytellers provide regional solutions to national challenges. In short, Edge Factor produces cinematic stories with accompanying resources and delivers this content through the online Edge Factor Suit platform.
“In every community we work in, we want to infuse the local flavor of the region into our library of tools,” said Jeremy Bout, Found of Edge Factor. “By partnering with AJAC, we are bringing the Edge Factor film crew to film in Washington, meeting local businesses, and organizations. We will be filming real people, in real aerospace jobs, highlighting local career opportunities.”
Edge Factor’s strong focus on career and technical education raises awareness about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) career pathways. One pathway Edge Factor wanted to bring into focus was registered apprenticeships, specifically for the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.
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“One of the most impactful engagement tools is a good story. Edge Factor has a remarkable ability to tell compelling stories connecting businesses, educators, students, parents and workforce developers in an effort to build communities,” said Demetria “Lynn” Strickland, Executive Director of AJAC. “AJAC currently partners with 34 employers employing 75 Youth Apprentices who come from a wide array of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. We are thrilled to have this new partnership unveil the impact a registered Youth Apprenticeship program can have on communities and the advanced manufacturing industry.”
AJAC’s registered Youth Apprenticeship program grew nearly 200% in 2018. That growth creates a greater demand for career connected opportunities like registered apprenticeship for youth and partnering with Edge Factor will provide AJAC with more tools to encourage future employers and apprentices to become a participant in a registered apprenticeship program to positively impact their communities.
Additionally, Edge Factor spoke with six employers in various regions to help future businesses understand the full scope of the Youth Apprenticeship program, including its pipeline development, teen worker safety, community impact and competitive advantage.
“It is important to show these apprentices in the work environment to clearly communicate what kind of responsibility and job tasks they are capable of safely doing,” said Clint Folyer, Operations Manager at Tacoma-based manufacturer Tool Gauge. “Our experience working with AJAC and Edge Factor to tell Raquel’s story was a great experience. We look forward to working with both AJAC and Edge Factor again in the future.”
A healthy community ecosystem where education and businesses, parents and students are all speaking to each other is the catalyst to expanding apprenticeship opportunities in Washington State. Through these new cinematic experiences, future employers and apprentices can better engage with the state’s fastest growing registered apprenticeship program.
To learn more about AJAC’s registered Youth Apprenticeship Program, please visit: https://www.ajactraining.org/youth/
Miss our 2018 Youth Apprenticeship Signing Day Ceremony? Watch our recap here: https://www.ajactraining.org/youth-apprentice/youth-press-and-media/
Follow the journey of our Youth Apprentices on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and our quarterly newsletter.
AJAC is an industry-driven apprenticeship organization, founded on the belief that mastery occurs on the job. Through pre-apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship and adult apprenticeship, all people have the opportunity to earn competitive wages, find meaningful and fulfilling work, and pursue lifelong learning.
AJAC currently partners with over 250 aerospace and advanced manufacturing companies in Washington State serving nearly 400 apprentices state-wide each year.
