Soon, Made in Henderson County.com will be home to the Made in Henderson County Apprenticeship Program! Be on the look out for program information, event dates and the official application. Application period opens January 31st and runs through April 1st. Applications will also be available at all Made in Henderson County Apprenticeship events.

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Through the Made in Henderson County partnership, Henderson County Public Schools, Blue Ridge Community College, the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development and local industries will launch a new manufacturing apprenticeship this spring for graduating seniors.

The program will offer students a tuition-free mechatronics engineering certificate, earned over the course of three semesters. It is a registered North Carolina Apprenticeship with the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Students will spend one day in the classroom at Blue Ridge Community College and the rest of the week working at one of the partner companies: Elkamet, WestRock, Meritor and GF Linamar. Students will earn a competitive salary throughout the process and are guaranteed a job offer upon completion of the program.

“The new manufacturing apprenticeship opportunity is a perfect example of our community partners working together in support of our students,” Wendy Frye, HCPS director of high schools, said in a news release.

“Industry leaders from our four partner companies have met frequently with HCPS and BRCC staff over the past months, facilitated by the HCPED, to create a program that would best fit their employment needs as well as the needs of our graduates,” Frye added. “We truly appreciate the commitment shown by this group and hope we can replicate this model into other career pathways.”

Informational sessions will be held at each HCPS high school from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7 for interested students and educators to learn more about the program:

•Innovative High Schools (two sessions) – Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

•West Henderson High – Feb. 1 at 9:15 a.m.

•East Henderson High – Feb. 5 at 9:30 a.m.

•Hendersonville High – Feb. 5 at 2:15 p.m.

•North Henderson High – Feb. 7 at 11:30 a.m.

Parents are encouraged to attend one of the two kickoff events at Blue Ridge Community College at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 13 or 10 a.m. March 16 to learn more about the apprenticeship program. Participating companies will hold group or individual tours in late spring for interested families.

Applications for the “Made in Henderson County Manufacturing Apprenticeship” will be available online at www.madeinhendersoncounty.com/apprenticeship and should be submitted from January 31 to April 1. Selected students will start the program with a condensed pre-apprenticeship course on May 15.

Made in Henderson County is a coordinated effort established to enhance the connection between manufacturing businesses and the school system while telling the story of manufacturing, the products made here and the people who make them. Since 2012, HCPS and the Partnership for Economic Development have brought career-building and workforce development training to local middle and high schoolers through Made in Henderson County industry tours that showcase manufacturing opportunities.