Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator Achieves 90% Hiring Rate for First ALL County Public School Cohort in St. Charles County, Missouri

February 12, 2025

St. Charles County, Missouri The inaugural Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator (YAA) event on January 23 at Lewis and Clark Career Center has yielded impressive results. Within just four months of launching, five Registered Youth Apprenticeship (RYA) Coordinators, trained and apprenticed by Career WayZ (a US DOL Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor), vetted 21 apprentices, with 90% securing welding or machining positions from local manufacturing employers. Component Bar Products LLC National Cart Company Trinity Products True Manufacturing @Quest Specialty Products, and Seyer Industries, Inc. sponsor the employer-led YAA team.  There will be a signing event on February 12th at 6:00 PM at the FT. ZUMWALT R-II SCHOOL DISTRICT Zumwalt Professional and Technical Center.

Modeled after Fort Zumwalt School District's successful program Patrick Brown Andy McHaffie the YAA offers paid, on-the-job training and the chance to earn a nationally recognized USDOL credential and up to 45 credits toward a Skilled Trades Associate of Arts degree from St. CharlesCommunity College. Apprentices are selected based on US DOL criteria, including instructor recommendations and employer engagement through Career WayZ workshops—Andy McHaffie, Apprenticeship Coordinator of Ft. Zumwalt School District, mentors the cohort of RYA Coordinators through their apprenticeship. The USDOL’s standard 2,000-hour Youth Apprentice Program delivers a substantial economic impact in every community it serves. In Saint Charles County, the inaugural launch of the Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator Program resulted in the employment of 19 Apprentice Selects, who are collectively projected to earn approximately $684K  in wages, generate an estimated $3.1 MIL in economic value for the region’s manufacturing sector.

Looking ahead, our goal is to expand the Youth Apprentice Program in Saint Charles County to 600 youth apprentices by 2029. This growth is projected to result in over $20.5 million in wages earned by apprentices and an estimated $97 million in economic value contributed to the region’s manufacturing industry.

This initiative positions Missouri as a leader in RYA Coordinator training and expanding youth apprenticeship programs alongside the Missouri Apprenticeship Team. Participating employers benefit from a pipeline of trained, job-ready students before graduation.  This is made possible by Missouri’s first and only U.S. Department of Labor registered RYA coordinator training program in partnership with manufacturing employers in St. Charles County.  US DOL Office of Apprenticeship State Director TRACE LAUGHERY and Apprenticeship Training Representative Jeanna Caldwell have played essential roles in its development and support.

Cynthia Walker, owner of Career WayZ, has project managed this initiative with a team of subject matter experts providing employer-requested workforce readiness training, including resume building, interview preparation, and assessments, as well as exercises for each apprentice to better understand themselves and how they are to function in the workplace Dan Shows.  Each employer receives personal scouting reports and the apprentice’s scorecards highlighting the individual’s strengths and propensities.  This expedites the hiring decisions and sets students up for success. The apprentice selects and employers participate in an employer showcase where they meet with current peer apprentices.  To add to the experience, the six employer partners created and endorsed an event emphasizing how apprentices can use safety awareness and behaviors as a career-enhancing opportunity.   Combined with the outstanding industry-relevant related instruction and support provided by multiple high schools and Lewis and Clark Career Center, our apprentice-selects are in high demand!

In addition to the upcoming Selection Day, April 16th, the YAA will expand to additional manufacturing and healthcare occupations in the fall of 2025.  We will soon offer opportunities for private and homeschooled students.  The YAA Team is opening doors for the next workforce generation to follow.

The YAA Team:  Apprentice-selects representing all St. Charles County Schools participate in Selection Day.  Partnered with the Economic Development Council (EDC) of St. Charles County and sponsored by area manufacturing employers: Component Bar, National Cart, Trinity Products, True Manufacturing, Quest Specialty Products, and Seyer Industries.  Cynthia Walker, owner of Career WayZ and YAA Project Manager, collaborates and trains public schools in St. Charles County School District and their Registered Youth Apprenticeship Coordinators( Francis Howell, Kara Dalton, Katherine Vargas; Orchard Farm, Dr. Greg Jones; Julie Durham, Wentzville; Steve Smith, Lewis and Clark; mentored by Andy McHaffie, Ft. Zumwalt).  Photo Credits to @Chris Brennan of Trinity Products

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Let’s build a workforce that is not only skilled, but confident, connected, and future-ready.
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Follow Cynthia Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-walker-46b8087a/