Last week, state officials and legislatures met AJAC’s Youth Apprentices and their hiring employers from the Elma School District to see firsthand the impact registered apprenticeship has on local, rural communities.
The day started at Vaughan Company with a tour of their chopper pump facility. Vaughan Company hired their first apprentices back in May and expects to hire more in the coming years.
After the tour, guests heard from hiring employers on why their company elected to participate in Youth Apprenticeship. Elma has three companies participating—Vaughan Company, A&R Aviation, and Sierra Pacific Industries.
Attendees then toured Elma’s CTE program where apprentices are learning machining, fabrication, welding, automation, technical drawings, shop math, and maintenance.
The event concluded with a panel discussion from the five Youth Apprentices—talking about their experience in apprenticeship over the last six months.
A special thank you to Elma High School for organizing and hosting this event!
