Employees from five area companies participated in a signing ceremony at Wayne Community College on Sept. 24 that marked the formation of a new apprenticeship consortium.
The seven apprentices are members of the first cohort of the new Industrial Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship Consortium that includes Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations in Wilson, Franklin Baking Company in Goldsboro, Mt. Olive Pickle Company in Mount Olive, SPX Transformer Solutions in Goldsboro, and Wayne County Government.
“We are celebrating a consortium that is committed to developing a workforce that will help meet the current demand and build a pipeline for future workforce needs,” said Craig Foucht, Wayne Business and Industry Center executive director.
The men who signed apprenticeship agreements are
Alex Aycock, a maintenance technician with Wayne County who lives in Pikeville;
Matt Corbett, a maintenance engineer at Franklin Baking lives in Pikeville;
Austin Garner, a maintenance apprentice at Bridgestone who lives in Goldsboro;
Chris Hendricks, a maintenance apprentice at Bridgestone who lives in Fremont;
Daryl Murphy, a finished goods machine apprentice at Mt Olive Pickle who lives in Warsaw;
JaQue’ Raynor, a finished goods machine apprentice at Mt. Olive Pickle who lives in Snow Hill; and
Brand Roa, an automation maintenance apprentice with SPX who lives in Dudley.
“Apprenticeships allow individuals to learn while they earn, to get a paycheck and on-the-job training backed by traditional education,” said Interim WCC President Patty Pfeiffer. “They have the pride of moving from apprentice to journeyman and earning academic credentials up to and including an associate degree.”
Apprentices get hands-on training alongside experienced technicians at their plants and attend classes at Wayne Community College one day a week. They are working toward journeyworker certificates from ApprenticeshipNC and the United States Department of Labor as well as industry certifications and an associate degree in Industrial Systems Technology from the college.
This cohort is expected to graduate in 2024.
WCC is now serving more than 50 apprentices in it industrial systems technology, swine management, and computer-integrated machining programs.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there were nearly 26,000 registered apprenticeship programs active across the nation involving more than 636,000 apprentices in fiscal year 2020.
For more information on apprenticeship opportunities, contact WCC Apprenticeship Coordinator Kristie Sauls at 919-739-7063.
About ApprenticeshipNC
ApprenticeshipNC, part of the NC Community College System, helps employers develop registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in a variety of industries and occupations. The office served 15,657 North Carolinians during fiscal year 2020, the most in the past 10 years.
About WCC
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 165 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.
Contacts for the Consortium are
Bridgestone: Emily Weaver,
Franklin Baking: Charles Brogden,
Mt. Olive Pickles: Lynn Williams or 919-581-3628
SPX Transformer: Jamie Humphrey, and
Wayne County Facility Services: Kendall.Lee@waynegov.com