business backgrounder | education & workforce
Auto Apprenticeship in High School
From a tiny high school comes a public-private innovation in education — like a “ Running Start for apprenticeship .”
Brian Mittge
The McGregor Co . is closely connected the communities of the Palouse . Now the company is working with teachers to create new pre-apprenticeship training for students .
At A Glance
Local employers like The McGregor Co . are working with a small public school , Garfield- Palouse High School , to offer on-site training as part of high school classes and a pre-apprenticeship program .
This program breaks down the hours required for an apprenticeship so high school students can do some of the pieces .
When they graduate from high school , they can roll all that work into the apprenticeship pathway and be that far ahead .
Colton Pfaff , a junior , ( left ) and Lyman Olson , a freshman , work on disassembling a generator as part of the automotive pre-apprenticeship program at Garfield-Palouse High School . “ This class is the best part of my day ,” Lyman said .
PALOUSE — In a spacious shop space at Garfield-Palouse High School , under a giant American flag , freshman Lyman Olson works on disassembling a generator as part of a new automotive preapprenticeship program at his tiny high school .
“ This class is the best part of my
“ It ’ s the first pre-approved apprenticeship in Washington in a high school . It ’ s like Running Start for apprenticeship .”
— Jessica Dempsey , career-connected learning director for ESD 101 .
day ,” Lyman said . “ I like working on machinery and stuff like that .” The class is not only enjoyable for students , it ’ s also revolutionary , part of a unique collaboration between local industry and this 92-student public school in the rolling hills of eastern Washington .
After completion , graduates of the program will have the option of going straight into a state-approved apprenticeship program through the Independent Technicians Automotive Committee ( iTAC ). They ’ ll also have skills that will make them employable directly out of high school at local businesses .
The pre-apprenticeship program was the brainchild of the school district , Educational Service District 101 , the Community Colleges of Spokane and prominent regional
Washington State Registered Automotive Apprenticeship www . nwautocare . org / itac-program-information
Garfield-Palouse High School www . garpal . net
Career-Connected Learning at ESD 101 www . esd101 . net / learning / cte / career _ connected _ learning winter 2023 45