AJAC Youth Apprentices Earn $28,000 Plus Tuition-Free College Credit

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.

The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC), part of Governor Inslee's Career Connect Washington initiative, 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.

AJAC's registered Youth Apprenticeship, only in its second year, grew nearly 200% in 2018 with 39% minority participation representing 13 school districts in Washington State. This growth creates a greater demand for career connected opportunities for Washington State high school students like registered Youth Apprenticeship.

"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 Washington State's communities and the advanced manufacturing industry."

In 2018, AJAC's Youth Apprentices earned a combined $290,000 including 840 college credits and 22,000 hours of paid on-the-job training at local aerospace and advanced manufacturing companies.

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 Youth Apprenticeship program.

(Source: AJAC news release. Image from AJAC YouTube video)

FMI: www.ajactraining.org