Northwest Aerospace News April | May 2019 Issue No. 8 | Page 49

MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL
In the state of Washington, if you are an apprentice, you have 50 percent
reduced tuition; you have college credit attached to each class; and at the end
of your apprenticeship, if you take a designated number of general education
courses, you still have access to a two-year degree. An apprenticeship is not just
a career pathway, it’s also an educational pathway.
Registered apprenticeship encompasses structured rotation of each apprentice
plus college-level courses while earning a competitive wage. “They have a
structured rotation around the shop so they’re not just good on one machine,
they’re good on several machines,” said Demetria “Lynn” Strickland, executive
director of AJAC.
“As their skills increase, so does their pay, at a certain
step. For our youth apprentices, once they go through
the program, they have the opportunity to learn up
to $28,000 in a 2,000 hour program. The benefit is
they’re earning while they’re learning, instead of
going to class, going to college, paying tuition, and
maybe not necessarily having a job to be able to sup-
port them at the same point. This helps individuals to
be self-sufficient at an earlier age.”
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Youth Apprenticeship focuses on entry level occupations, which can progress
into higher skill levels and better-paying careers post-graduation. The average
adult apprenticeship program is achieved over four years (8,000 hours), with
the commensurate post-secondary credential achieved over two years of full-
time study.
To avoid wasteful redundancy for youth apprentices, AJAC and its K-12 educa-
tion partners retooled the alignment of learning frameworks to marry seamless-
ly with post-secondary pathways. For example, a production technician youth
apprentice who continues their education as a machinist apprentice is awarded
100 percent recognition for their prior training in class and at work — not only
putting them a year ahead in training, but also in pay.
In return, Youth Apprentice completers do not have to take an entire year
of classes if they choose to enroll in an adult program such as machining or
industrial maintenance. Over the course of their lifetime, youth apprentices can
earn nearly $1,000,000 more (not including benefits and investments) than adult
apprentices who enter the program at 32 years old — the average age of a new
AJAC adult apprentice.
Raquel Taijito, a senior at Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington was the
first female to enroll in AJAC’s Youth Apprenticeship program during the 2017-
2018 school year. Tool Gauge interviewed several students during their hiring
process and ultimately offered Raquel a position in the apprenticeship.
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APRIL | MAY
2019 ISSUE NO. 8
49
Bellingham, WA