Youth training program offers local students a lead into their future career

Green Bay (Wluk) – As a senior at Green Bay East High School, James Smith is already well on the way to becoming a certified electrician. A multi -year process.

“I bend tube, end circuit circuits, set up electrical boxes and other devices,” explains Smith Fox 11.

The early start of his career is that he is one of the many students from the public schools in Green Bay Area who are part of the youth training program. A work -based learning program that aims to increase a strong local workforce.

“It is important because it enables the students to use some of the general employment and technical skills that they learn in the classroom, and also contact local employers to explore career opportunities and to create their success after graduation,” says David Gordon, director of the Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprentices hip consortium.

“Only when everyone grows and better electricians and better people are really fulfilled,” says Nolan Hornburg, an electrical supervisor who monitors and teaches Smith.

Hornburg also went through the youth training program in the high school.

“It definitely opened my eyes for the trades and showed me things that I never knew out there. You don't have to go to a 4-year-old college. You get these paid apprenticeships about your employer and you are phenomenal and teach you so much while you are paid,” he says.

Hornburg attributes his success and longevity of the workforce as a teenager as part of the apprenticeship training program.

As David Gordon explains, youth training is not only for business. Students can receive apprenticeships in healthcare, agriculture, business, marketing and more. There are a total of 16 job clusters from which the students can choose.

He says it is a win-win situation for students. In addition to the collection of experiences, knowledge and a salary check, you can earn a high school loan and a certificate from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce to build up your resume.

“We really try to help the students make very strategic and deliberate decisions, while they are in the high school so that they have a clear career course in the course of their degree. In many cases, our students will actually do professional explorations and they have actually found something that they are passionate about and want to make them as a career after making their degree,” he explains. “In other cases, the students can try something and realize that it is not what they thought, and by researching these options in the high school, these students still have time to turn and go in a different direction while they have the support of the district of YA.”

For James, however, he found exactly what he was looking for.

“I always wanted this leap in my career or my training, and this was the perfect place for it, and I was always interested in the trades.”

According to Gordon, the program continues to grow.

In the school year 21-22, the public schools of the Green Bay Area only had 15 participants in youth training. This year there are 339 that work with 254 local employers.

The cooperation between CESA 7, the Chamber of Commerce of Green Bay Area and Gbaps has driven a significant increase in participation in the past three years in the past three years.

These 339 students will earn 2.3 million US dollars this year alone.