Pre-Apprenticeship Program Helps CRTC Students Connect to Employers and Jumpstart Their Careers



For most of April, Construction Trades student Nick White has been traveling to Manchester each Wednesday to spend five hours working at Longchamps Electric as part of a pre-apprenticeship program designed to give him a head start on both a job and a career. In May he’ll begin an 80-hour paid internship that will transition into a registered apprenticeship and employment with Longchamps.


“I think this is the best step I could have taken as far as having a future as an electrician,” the Bow High School junior said. “It helps me to both start earning hours toward my electrical apprenticeship and get my foot in the door for a job with Longchamps.”


Nick is the first CRTC student to enter the recently launched state high school pre-apprenticeship program, which is managed by ApprenticeshipNH and funded through a three-year federal grant. The program is an attempt to help students get a head start on industry apprenticeships while still in high school, and help employers to develop a structured workforce pipeline.


“We are trying to link CRTC students to opportunities that will continue after their high school graduation,” said CRTC Work-Based Learning Coordinator Amy Smith. “Nick is the first student we’ve connected to a pre-apprenticeship, but we hope to create similar agreements with other companies that have apprenticeship pathways.”


As part of the pre-apprenticeship process, CRTC and Longchamps entered into a formal agreement that outlines the pathway Nick will be able to take during the next couple of years as he moves from an informal, unpaid 40-hour internship, to a paid 80-hour internship, then into a registered apprenticeship and a job with Longchamps. According to the agreement, the hours Nick earns as an Intern will be applied to the 2,000 apprenticeship hours required. Federal grant funds also can be used by students in the pre-apprenticeship program to help pay for specialized equipment and postsecondary education requirements needed to complete the apprenticeship.


“Now that we’ve developed a replicable model, we are looking to expand the program,” Ms. Smith said. “This school year COVID has been a huge barrier, but once things loosen up, I’m hoping we can use this model with other companies.”


Nick is excited about the opportunity to jumpstart his career ambitions while still a junior in high school, and eager to learn more about the day-to-day work in this career field.


“Once I heard about pre-apprenticeships from my teacher, I jumped on the opportunity,” he said. “I think it’s a great step in the right direction.”


Click Here to learn more about CRTC Work-Based Learning.


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