Middle Georgia Technical College

Apprenticeship program gives job skills to high school sophomores, juniors

June 29 , 2007

By Holly L. Birchfield, The Robins Rev-Up

The Youth Apprenticeship Program is giving high school sophomores and juniors a chance to build on their future careers.

Five sophomores and 14 juniors from Houston County schools are participating in YAP, a program that gears sophomore, junior-level students up for enrollment in the base’s cooperative education program designed to line students up for future employment on the base.

Wayne Murphy, YAP facilitator, said the state-funded program gives students a leg up in the job market.

But not just any student can get that advantage, theYAP facilitator said.

“We select students that have already made a solid career choice about what they want to do with their life,“ he said. “We provide educational opportunities related to that career choice and then we provide work experience to that as well. So, it’s a cooperative agreement between the Houston County Board of Education, the post-secondary school, in our case Middle Georgia Technical College, and then business and industry.“

Mr. Murphy said to get in the program, students must be 16 years old and going into the 11th or 12th grade. Students must have a 3.0 or better grade point average, a career plan, a training plan that specifies on the job training tied to educational course numbers, and recommendation letters from their math, English, and technical career teachers. Additionally, students must have a record of excellent attendance and behavior.

Once students are enrolled, Salena Boyd, human resources assistant in Civilian Personnel’s Employment Recruiting Office, ensures students are inprocessed and lined up for their full-time job in the program.

“The Youth Apprenticeship Program is a feeder program for the co-op program at Middle Georgia Technical College, and it also serves to expose students in the Houston County school system to some of the technical fields Robins Air Force Base has to offer.“

The co-op program is a long-time effort that has given Middle Georgia Technical College students a chance to work at the base for six months and take classes for another six months in order to have a shot at employment at Robins.

Ms. Boyd said under YAP, qualified sophomores with the required 144 credit hours in the career cluster of their choice are in a two-week shadowing program with maintenance workers, where they get training and learn about the aircraft.

Juniors and seniors are enrolled in YAP for six weeks. Both groups of students are committed to YAP for three years. The current group will participate from summer 2007 to 2010.

While at Robins, YAP students are paid as entry-level wage grade employees.

To get YAP students ready to take on their new learning experience, Carol Cox, chief, Production Acceptance Certification System and Training Section in the 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group, gets students lined up for training on different weapons systems, seeks mentors on the weapons systems, and works to get students into groups in theYAP.

Ms. Cox said the program is a good stepping stone to help students pin-point what area they want to get into in the coop program.

“These students are our future,“ she said. “They’re the future mechanics for Robins Air Force Base. They’re the future leaders of America, and we as an enterprise need to help these kids in making good decisions and good choices as to what their future holds.“

Since students are only at Robins for a short time doing over-the-shoulder training and minimal tasks, their training requirements are modified from those of new full-time permanent employees, Ms. Cox said.

Ms. Cox said she develops a training plan for the students as they come on the flightline, with each plan being weapon system-specific and fluid so students can easily transition through their three-year commitment in YAP.

“It’s basically a time for them to actually see a mechanic in action to see what they would be doing,“ she said.

Ms. Cox said the program enables students to earn a postsecondary certificate or diploma from a technical school or college in addition to their high school diploma. After earning 2,000 hours of OJT, students have the opportunity to earn a certificate of occupational skills.

Ms. Boyd said YAP, one of three apprenticeship programs run in Houston County, is a great way for students to gain valuable skills for their future careers.