Career WayZ Honored as Talent Pipeline Initiative of the Year

August 14, 2025

At the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County’s Fifth Annual Awards Luncheon, I was humbled to accept the Talent Pipeline Initiative of the Year award on behalf of the entire Career WayZ team and partners for our work with the Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator. This recognition is truly a reflection of the collective dedication of our educators, employers, and community partners who are helping young people step into high-demand careers and build a stronger future for us all.

The award was announced by EDC Councilman Dr. Bernie DuBray, who, as Superintendent of FORT ZUMWALT SCHOOL DISTRICT, registered the district’s first youth apprenticeship program in 2019 with Dr. Patrick Brown. Their vision and leadership set the pace and laid the foundation for what the program has become today.

Dr. Bernard DuBray - Ft. Zumwalt Superintendent Retired | EDC Board

In just eight months, 45 students—many of whom were only 16 or 17 years old—were hired into advanced manufacturing roles. Their work ranges from welding pipes for bridges and pipelines to producing components for renewable energy systems, refrigeration units, medical devices, airplanes, and equipment for defense and commercial aviation.

Today, we celebrate these 45 high school students who aren’t just working mundane tasks at minimum wage. The average wage is $18 an hour. Over the course of their 2000-hour apprenticeship, they will generate over $1.6 million in wages and produce $6.9 million in value-added products for local manufacturers.

As a merit-based program, we are reaching all spectrums of students, including those planning to attend college, technical schools, mainstream, alternative schools, and even some facing vocational challenges. We are proud of our first vocational rehabilitation apprentice, who is thriving in his job post-graduation as a productive worker in your community from Ft. Zumwalt School District.

Our youth are welding metals that will become bridges and pipelines. They’re helping produce components for renewable energy, refrigeration systems, medical devices, airplanes, and even defense and commercial aviation. They are building the future before they’ve even graduated from high school.

Andy MaHaffie - Cynthia Walker - Dr. Pat Brown - Executive Director of STEM & Career Education Ft. Zumwalt School District

Andy McHaffie and Dr. Pat Brown, working with the current Superintendent Dr. Henry St. Pierre, have elevated the program to a national model. Andy himself is a testament to the program’s reach—as the team’s mentor, he is also one of the first to graduate with the Career WayZ - Missouri U.S. Department of Labor National Completion Certificate in the inaugural cohort of five. The second cohort, representing the St. Charles Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator, will complete their program in Fall 2025, while the third Career WayZ Apprenticeship Coordinator Apprentices cohort began their first courses in August 2025. Career WayZ currently has a total of four completed apprenticeship coordinators with eleven currently active.

Career WayZ Cohort 2 Back row: Cynthia Walker | Andy McHaffie-Mentor and Trainer - First completed RYA Coordinator Apprentice | Julie Durham (Wentzville) | Dr. Greg Jones (Orchard Farms-Principal) | Dr. Kara Dalton & Katie Vargas (Francis Howell) | Dr. Jason Sefrit - Superintendent of St. Charles School District | Martin Hanley (Director Lewis and Clark Career Center) | Seated: Dr. Marc Tiernan Director of Secondary Education Wentzville School District | Cohort 3: Brooke Brockman - (Wentzville) Dr. Steve Smith -(Lewis and Clark Career Center-Asst. Director) | Not pictured: Mark Delaney (Francis Howell Superintendent) | Mr. Brian Bishop (Wentzville Superintendent) | Dr. Wade Steinhoff (Orchard Farm Superintendent) | Dr. Henry St. Pierre (Ft. Zumwalt Superintendent)

Special recognition goes to Craig Moore, Owner of Quest Specialty Products, for generously hosting the table of honorees. We also honor Wade Johnson, Apprenticeship Training Representative with the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Air Force (Retired). Until his retirement, Wade worked closely with Cynthia Walker throughout the pandemic, registering programs and providing technical assistance in Missouri and her national projects across the nation. His efforts helped catapult youth apprenticeship initiatives forward, ensuring they didn’t just survive during challenging times—but thrived. Wade also served as the ATR for Fort Zumwalt alongside the district’s current ATR, Jeanna Caldwell, and State Director, TRACE LAUGHERY, whose guidance has been instrumental in ensuring the Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator meets U.S. Department of Labor compliance standards while fostering collaboration and program growth.

This “village” of support includes five collaborating school districts—each with dedicated US DOL Registered Apprenticeship Coordinators making a direct impact through rapid implementation of their Registered Youth Apprenticeship (RYA) programs:

• FORT ZUMWALT SCHOOL DISTRICT – Andy McHaffie

• Francis Howell School District – Dr. Kara Dalton & Katie Vargas

• City of St. Charles School District – Dr. Steve Smith, Ed.D

• Wentzville School District – Julie Durham

• Orchard Farm School District – Dr. Greg Jones

Employer Partners making this possible include:

Trinity Products, Quest Specialty Products, Craftsmen Industries, Inc., National Cart Company, Patriot Machine, Inc., Seyer Industries, Inc., Component Bar Products LLC, and True Manufacturing.

While advanced manufacturing is the program’s anchor, the impact reaches far beyond—to healthcare, construction trades, IT, and other high-demand industries. This award is not just recognition of a program, but of a community that came together with urgency, commitment, and vision to invest in its youth and its future.

Our future is built on the dreams we nurture and the opportunities we create for our youth. Every skill learned, every door opened, every dream encouraged—it all shapes the world we will live in tomorrow. St. Charles County is leading that change—one apprentice at a time.

Schedule a consultation here: https://careerwayz.org/contact

Let’s build a workforce that is not only skilled, but confident, connected, and future-ready.
Follow Career WayZ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/career-wayz-missouri/

Follow Cynthia Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-walker-46b8087a/