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Caroline County high school students Savannah Messick, Nelvin Macario Tomas, Cristian Velasquez-Ramirez, Jack Montgomery, and Ethan Raeder have been awarded Youth Apprenticeship positions within various local businesses and organizations.
The Youth Apprenticeship program is overseen by Eric Cook, who serves as CCPS’s Coordinator of Career Readiness and Career & Technology Education. The goal of the program is to offer high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to get “in-depth, hands-on, real-world experience” in their prospective career paths.
Local employers can opt to hire youth apprentices from North Caroline or Colonel Richardson high schools to help train the next generation of workers. Youth apprentices go through an application process very similar to that of a real job position and are hired for a minimum of 450 hours of work experience. They also earn one academic credit for their efforts.
CRHS junior Savannah Messick was hired by Every Voice Counts Rehabilitation Services in Easton, which “provides mental health rehabilitation services and support for individuals to develop and enhance community and living skills.” Messick also plans to take college courses in the psychology field, but Cook noted that the Youth Apprenticeship offers a first-hand look at what mental health professionals do every day.
Nelvin Macario Tomas and Cristian Velasquez-Ramirez, both seniors at NCHS, were signed on as Youth Apprentices by Nuttle Builders Incorporated. After completing the Caroline Career and Technology Center’s Construction Technology Program under the direction of instructor Dennis Hall, these qualified students will now be able to work on real construction sites as Youth Apprentices. The owner of Nuttle Builders Inc.Neal, said of Macario Tomas and Velasquez-Ramirez, “[they] are hard workers and willing to learn… they will go a long way in this business with those qualities.”
Caroline County Public Schools themselves hired two Youth Apprentices: NCHS juniors Jack Montgomery and Ethan Raeder. As a dual enrollment student of Information Technology at Chesapeake College, Montgomery will be working in CCPS’ technology department. Raeder will be apprenticing under Shore Gourmet, having completed the Food and Beverage Management Program with Chef Ogden. Representatives of CCPS said “The apprenticeships will expand the students’ current knowledge and provide on-the-job training in the business world.”
