Nearly 80 High School Students Graduate Manufacturers’ Association Pre-Apprenticeship Program

(York, PA) – The Manufacturers’ Association concluded its 8th program year on April 24th for their high school Pre-Apprenticeship program with a graduation ceremony hosted at Penn State York’s campus, coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week on April 30th.  

The Association’s Pre-Apprenticeship program introduces high school students to advanced manufacturing careers in seven different trades and provides opportunities to pursue high wage and high demand careers locally. The program includes students from York, Lancaster, Perry, Chester, Dauphin, Cumberland, and Lebanon Counties, including the Milton Hershey School and several of the region’s Career and Tech High Schools.

This year’s Pre-Apprenticeship program graduated 78 students from across southcentral Pennsylvania. The recognition event included students receiving their state recognized Pre-Apprenticeship credential witnessed by invited guests, family members, program partners and local manufacturing employers, Eden Tool and Tate, inc. The program also included awarding the annual Carl Winters Jr. Memorial Scholarship, which provides $1,000 in funds for further education or training in an industrial career. This year’s awardee is Hayden Barr-Yendall from Red Lion High School as part of the York County Alliance for Learning (YCAL) class.  Hayden plans to pursue a career in mechatronics at the York County School of Technology.  The scholarship was established in honor of Carl Winters, Jr., after his passing in 2019. Carl was a tool and die maker by trade for over 50 years in the York area and the creator of the original pre-apprenticeship program at the Manufacturers’ Association.

“Pre-Apprenticeships offer an excellent opportunity to introduce high-tech modern manufacturing careers to all students,” said Miranda Martz, the program’s Pre-Apprenticeship Coordinator at the Association.  “The program also provides a pathway for advanced placement in employer apprenticeships – accelerating high wage, high quality careers for graduates,” she stated.

Pre-apprenticeship programs are designed to offer classroom and hands-on learning specifically to train students to enter a registered apprenticeship program with an employer or continue their technical education. The Association’s program started in 2017 with a handful of students and, since then, has enrolled over 300 students across south central Pennsylvania in the skills program.  Students receive several industry recognized credentials and upon graduation have the opportunity to enter registered apprenticeships with sponsoring employers while benefiting from advanced placement that the pre-apprenticeship provides for graduates of the program. 

The program is registered with the PA Department of Labor (L&I) and has received support from the state agency to expand the program across south central Pennsylvania.  L&I estimates that on average, apprentices earn much higher starting wages after completion of programs and are on track to earn $300,000 more than those production workers without journey worker credentials over their careers.  For every dollar spent on apprenticeships, employers get an average of $1.47 back in increased productivity.  In addition to the PA Department of Labor, the program also partners with the Partnership for Career Development, York County Alliance for Learning, Chester County Intermediate Unit, Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, and dozens of employers.

The Manufacturers’ Association is on a mission to ensure that our region’s manufacturing sector not only survives but remains stronger than ever!  We exist to ensure that critical knowledge is preserved, expanded, and shared with the manufacturing professionals of tomorrow.  Founded in 1906, we are the voice of the industry for hundreds of member & non-member organizations in central PA & northern MD.  We support manufacturers with the knowledge they need to operate, hire, & train smarter.  Visit our website at mascpa.org or our careers website at https://iexploremanufacturingcareers.com.