Apprentice Alamance Celebrates Graduates, New Youth Apprentices
Family, education partners, and business leaders gathered on August 20th to celebrate the apprenticeship journey for graduating and signing youth who are participants in Apprentice Alamance. The youth apprenticeship consortium is a partnership between area education partners and private industry that offers on-the-job training and college class time for industry credentials and career development.
This year the graduates that were celebrated are:
- Destiny Bellamy, who completed her Maintenance Mechanic Apprenticeship with Elevate Textiles
- Seth Honzik, who completed his Maintenance Mechanic Apprenticeship with AKG of America
- Edwin Martinez-Ramirez, who completed his Maintenance Mechanic Apprenticeship with Sandvik Coromant
- Jacob Ward, who completed his Mechatronics Technician Apprenticeship with GKN Driveline.
Signing apprentices for the 2030 Consortium included:
- Landon Nelson; Eastern Alamance High School; Glen Raven
- Richard Davidson; Eastern Alamance High School; Sandvik Coromant
- Conor Williams; Southern Alamance High School; Sandvik Coromant
- Lucas Duchonosky; Western Alamance High School; Machine Specialties Inc.
- Amari Ferguson; Williams High School; Machine Specialties Inc.
- Scarlette Pierce; Williams High School; Machine Specialties Inc.
- Wyatt Thompson; Southern Alamance High School; Machine Specialties Inc.
- Ricardo Canuto Tzintzun; Graham High School; Machine Specialties Inc.
At the ceremony, Chairman Eddie Gant of Glen Raven stressed the importance of choosing Listening over Hearing, using AI as a support but not a replacement for the power of the brain, and maintaining Passion for their work and passion for their community. He reminded students that “By completing your apprenticeship you now begin a transition to the role of mentor for those next apprentices coming up behind you. You have an opportunity to be a bold component of their success story.” Additional speakers included Reagan Gural, President & CEO of the Alamance Chamber; Dr. Ken Ingle, President of Alamance Community College; Dr. Chris Harrington, State Director of ApprenticeshipNC; and Superintendent Dr. Aaron Fleming of the Alamance-Burlington School System.
Partner agencies in the consortium include the Alamance Chamber, Alamance Community College, AprenticeshipNC, and the Alamance-Burlington School System. Industry apprenticeship sponsors of Apprentice Alamance are: AKG, Armen Stone, Elevate Textiles, GKN Driveline, Glen Raven, Indulor, Machine Specialties Inc, and Sandvik Coromant.
About Apprentice Alamance: The mission of Apprentice Alamance is dedicated to transforming the workforce in Alamance County by offering innovative apprenticeship programs that combine classroom instruction with on-the-job training. We aim to bridge the gap between education and industry, ensuring that our apprentices are well-equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to learn, earn, and excel in their careers. Applications by interested students are accepted beginning in the fall and due each year by February 15th. For more information, please visit www.ApprenticeAlamance.com