By Brent Addleman | The Center Square
A new grant will establish an apprenticeship program in Vermont.
A $228,000 state grant, Gov. Phil Scott said, will be used to create a new Registered Apprenticeship Program at G.S. Precision. The company is a CNC machining and assembly company headquartered in the southern portion of the state.
“Growing our workforce must be a top priority for all of us in public service, because if we don’t, we’re not going to be able to afford to make the investments we need or want, or even sustain some of what we already have,” Scott said in a release. “Apprenticeships are a key component of our strategy. They’re a great way for Vermonters to gain industry-recognized credentials, earn an income, and get on-the-job experience. That’s really a win-win-win.”
The company, according to the release, will create and implement a machinist apprenticeship program, the first in company history. The company plans to use funding to add training staff, in addition to updating educational facilities and equipment that will be used in the program.
“For many years G.S. Precision has maintained a goal to be the leader in our industry through quality, efficiency and reliability,” John Lynde, vice president of Operations and Quality at G.S. Precision, said in a release. “Achievement of this goal is possible today through the talent and knowledge of current employees across all GSP sites, but our challenge is not limited to today, it also must be sustained over time.”
The state’s Department of Labor, according to the release, will run the program through the Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program, which is designed to bring together businesses, job seekers, students, and education together to develop opportunities.
According to the release, the state currently has 160 active apprenticeship programs in plumbing, electrical and health care. The department over the past year has served 4,694 apprentices, and 50% are between the ages of 16 and 24.
The spent $200k of Grant money on a pocket park in Waitsfield, nice park but an epic waste of money for a few plantings, park bench and stone work on 800 sq ft.
They spen this much in every town building bike paths or some nature trail.
This shows little to no effort or focus for people who live in this state.
We can do better.
I am a fan of Big Picture learning. It originated in Providence, RI, though there are many variations of it across thcountry including 2 in the Burlington area. There was one in Rochester for a time, that ran into transportation issues, though school busses go everywhere and there could be a solution.
All the students are given multiple opportunities to intern in various roles 3 days a week and pull together current events and instructions in good presentation skills to share at the end of the quarter overview of their experience with peers, parents, staff and community. If they like it they can continue in that setting or if they’d like to explore another field of interest arrangements can be made to do that for a next experience.
The whole curriculum is geared to the work experience the student is interested in exploring. There’s no meaningless papers to write. I’ve seen some amazing presentations – youth are capable of some great meaningful accomplishments – building a sugar shack, grating roads and repairing county road equipment, organizing a community health fair, designing dental hygiene programs for younger students and many more. What better way to prepare for future employment and learn about work environments. Some of the students graduated and went right to work in the field that they loved. The emphasis is more on building relationships, being responsible, earning respect, learning how you learn and finding mentors, than on letter grades. Math, science and history are made relevant to the student’s experience, too. Programs like VAST can help get a leg up on college credits. The adults in the student’s life are teemed to meet their goals and friction between the students and adults is rarely seen.
Out schools were designed to cater to the industrial revolution back in the day. Now there are many more avenues to learn and not everyone is interested in being boxed in a school for 12 years.
Perhaps every student should be offered an apprentice program of their own making.