Collaboration Over Competition: Our Apprenticeship Revolution in Action ACTE-NCLA Best Practices and Innovations Conference St. Louis, Missouri 2025
October 9, 2025
Honored, Excited… and now Reflecting……
What an incredible week at the Best Practices & Innovations in CTE Conference in St. Louis! The Career WayZ - USA team was honored to share with education and industry leaders who are shaping the future of youth apprenticeship. A special thank-you to Rachael Mann, M.Ed., Executive Director of NCLA, and Dr. Brandon Russell, President-Elect of ACTE, for inviting Career WayZ to be part of such an impactful national conversation. Their leadership continues to elevate the importance of meaningful employer partnerships in CTE.
We were also proud to have our Missouri Representative, Brad Christ, welcome attendees to Missouri and highlight the vital role CTE plays in preparing our students for the workforce and strengthening our communities.
Our presentation, “Collaboration Over Competition: Building a Youth Apprenticeship Revolution,” was about exactly that: CEOs, educators, and apprenticeship ambassadors all at the same table, working as a starting lineup to mobilize the next generation, featuring a powerhouse lineup:
Bryan Davis, CEO, Trinity Products
Dan Fitter, CEO, Quest Specialty Products
Andy McHaffie, FORT ZUMWALT SCHOOL DISTRICT & Missouri’s first USDOL Apprenticeship Coordinator Completer
Career WayZ Apprenticeship Coordinators from across Missouri, many of whom are now journeyman coordinators with the U.S. Department of Labor
The opening ceremony began on a patriotic note with the JROTC Color Guard from St. Louis Public Schools presenting our nation’s colors with excellence and honor. Thank you to Rachael Mann, M.Ed., Diana Wilhold, Construction Forum, and Casey Donahue (St. Louis Public Schools) for helping make that moment possible. It set the tone for the entire event.
Together, we shared how employers and educators are teaming up to provide students with hands-on, high-skill career pathways starting as early as age 16, and how Missouri’s model is building stronger pipelines that benefit students, schools, and local industries alike. Here’s the curveball we threw: youth as young as 16 are being hired into high-skill manufacturing roles and outpacing 10-year veterans. They’re not “future workers” — they’re TODAY’S workforce. Ask Trinity’s Pipe School, where our apprentices are already proving it.
Instead of focusing on the expected “what and who” of youth apprenticeship programs, we highlighted the how and why through the perspectives of active CEOs, real apprenticeship specialists, and evidence that our model works. Career WayZ provides the necessary bridge that delivers impactful results. This is a direct reflection of our apprentice coordinators, who make up the majority of the active youth apprentices in the state.
To everyone who filled our session, stopped by to share ideas, and continues to advance youth apprenticeship across the country, thank you. The collaboration, energy, and shared purpose were inspiring. Career WayZ is honored to stand alongside visionary educators and employers who are not just talking about apprenticeship — they’re building it, living it, and proving what’s possible.
Schedule a consultation here: https://careerwayz.org/contact
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Follow Cynthia Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-walker-46b8087a/
