Youth Apprenticeship Signing Day

The Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeships (CRYA) program hosted the 10th annual Signing Day on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at The College Center on Trident Technical College’s Thornley Campus in North Charleston. The early morning breakfast event and program welcomed 130 high school students and their parents and family members, 53 employer partners and multiple representatives from Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), New America, Apprenticeship Carolina and the U.S. Department of Labor. This 10th year marked the largest Signing Day event in its history.

Dr. Mary Thornley, president of Trident Technical College, kicked off the event with opening remarks and a panelist discussion between three former youth apprentices and a current youth apprentice. The panelists were Sanaa Lemon, a former PLTW engineering technician apprentice with Berkeley County Government; Stephen Maddy, a former computer networking apprentice with the City of Charleston; Antonio Mojica, a former automotive apprentice with Hendrick Toyota Scion; and Meaghan Scheufele, a current CNA/Pre-Nursing apprentice with Roper St. Francis. David Harris (Consumer Banking Manager for Charleston and Beaufort area branches) from Regions Bank, who was the event sponsor, and Taylor White, the Director of PAYA, both delivered remarks during the program. Following the program, the youth apprentices, employer partners and funders were all recognized.

The 130 youth apprentices signed with local employers representing Automotive, Baking, Bookkeeping, CNA/Pre-Nursing, Culinary Arts, Hotel Operations, HVAC, Industrial Mechanics, Logistician, Machine Tool Technology, Medical Office Assistant, PLTW Engineering Technician and Welding. The largest youth apprentice group this year was the CNA/Pre-Nursing group which consisted of 59 apprentices. The participating healthcare employers include Bishop Gadsden, MUSC, Pruitt Health, Roper St. Francis and Trident Health. [Learn more about TTC programs]

Through CRYA, Trident Tech connects qualified high school students with participating local employers. The employers interview, vet and hire the students who then begin employment while also taking high school and college courses. The program lasts two years and, upon completion, the students will have earned a high school diploma, a TTC certificate, a national credential from the U.S. Department of Labor and two years of paid work experience. Since the start of the youth apprenticeship program and Signing Day in 2013, the youth apprenticeship program has continued to grow and benefit students and the  local workforce.

The youth apprenticeship program and Signing Day event are made possible by the 2023-2024 funders: Apprenticeship Carolina/U.S. Department of Labor, Bank of America, Boeing, Charleston Engineers Joint Council, Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), Regions Bank, Truist and TTC Foundation. 

7/31/23/staff