GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship (NEWYA) program has grown tremendously over the last few years.
The program partners with schools like Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) to allow high school seniors in surrounding communities to work towards college credit and gain professional experience.
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“Our number of youth apprenticeship participants has tripled in the last three years,” explained David Gordan, the Youth Coordinator at NEWYA. “The state of Wisconsin has reached record numbers in apprenticeship over the last three years, and much of that growth comes from northeast Wisconsin.”
Gordan also says one of the metrics that they evaluate in the program is continued employment after high school, and the completion rate is very high.
“85% of our youth apprenticeships students continue with their youth employer after they graduate,” he said. “That can be either a full-time or part-time role.”
However, Gordan explained that one barrier is that they could use help from the business community to create new opportunities for students.
“We do very intentional work, so we’re always looking for opportunities for students in any career field,” he explained. “We work with everyone from our largest employers to our single and two-employee businesses, so we are seeking that assistance to find these amazing experiences for students and increase that talent pipeline for the economic success of our region.”
This year NEWYA services approximately 1,300 students, which is up from 400 two years ago, tripling the number of students accessing the program within our region.
“There are really three pillars of youth apprenticeship: the hours of the student work, the mentorship of the program, and then that related coursework,” said Gordan. “Those three components really result in an effective program.”
Phil Schaible is a team leader at Bellin Memorial Hospital and has worked closely with apprentices to make sure they have the opportunity to explore different career paths in health care.
“Our gap is 10%, it’s a state number, and it’s the same number at Bellin Health, but we need 10% more employees taking care of people, so in youth apprenticeship, if a student identifies that they think they’re interested in healthcare, then we try to create a funnel of different exposure opportunities whether that is as a CNA, or as a Rehabilitation A,” explained Schaible.
He also said the goal is that, hopefully, by the end of the year, the student will know if that is the career path they want to pursue in college.
“It’s that partnership between the school district, employers, the educators like NWTC and Bellin College, and, of course, the kids and their parents,” said Schaible. “Those partnerships and being able to really focus on how do we help these kids make career decisions, that’s what it’s all about.”
Students like Josie Steeno get the opportunity to learn valuable skills like time management and communication in a professional setting before going off to college.
“I’ve been working as a Rehabilitation A at Bellin’s Physical Therapy Clinic in Titletown while I finish my senior year at Pulaski High School,” said Steeno. “In the future, I’m hoping to become a physical therapist.”
Throughout her time in the apprenticeship program, she was able to work closely with the physical therapists, participate in patient care, and work in a professional environment.
“I would say definitely go for it,” Steeno stated. “It was definitely intimidating for me, in the beginning, trying to balance everything on top of this new job that you’ve never been in before, but in the long run, it was so worth it, and I gained so much experience and many life skills that are going to help me along the way.”
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Next year, she will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, majoring in Rehabilitation Science on a pre-physical therapy track.
For more information on how to apply for the apprenticeship program, you can speak with your high school counselor about contacts you might need or visit the program’s official website.
