Three youth apprenticeship programs announced in Barren County

GLASGOW — Caroline Billingsley, a senior at Barren County High School, spoke about her ongoing apprenticeship with the Barren County Judge-Executive’s Office during the announcement of three youth apprenticeship programs Wednesday at the T.J. Health Pavilion Community Center.

She said working in Barren County Judge-Executive Micheal Hale’s office has “definitely been a game changer" to her education.

“I’ve learned more than I could have ever learned sitting in a classroom for eight hours a day,” Billingsley said, later adding that this opportunity is “less about information, and more about participation.”

“He lets me participate,” she said. “He lets me go to meetings with him. We attend ribbon cuttings.”

Billingsley said this opportunity is “just a stepping stone.”

“It’s going to lead to many more opportunities,” she said. “I’m thankful for the community that I live in and their support in the school district.

“But most importantly, I appreciate you, Judge Hale, and the effort and focus that you put into the young people, because you realize that we are the future of Barren County.”

The Barren County Judge-Executive’s Office has created the Office Management apprenticeship program, and Barren County Schools will offer apprenticeships in Culinary Arts and Transportation Maintenance, according to a press release from the Kentucky Labor Cabinet.

These registered apprenticeships will be available to high school juniors and seniors and will last for two years, requiring 144 classroom hours and 2,000 on-the-job training hours per year, according to the press release. The Office Management and Culinary Arts apprenticeships will use classroom instruction space at BCHS, and the Transportation Maintenance apprenticeship will use instructional space at the Barren County Area Technology Center.

During Wednesday’s announcement, Kentucky Labor Secretary Derrick Ramsey said while he is not anti-university, he is anti-debt, and he views apprenticeships as “another great option” for students as they have the ability to get compensated for their work on day one. He later addressed business owners and spoke about how having an apprenticeship program can help improve the culture of a workplace.

“There’s nothing more critical than people understanding your culture in the workplace,” he said. “With the apprentice, you get the opportunity to grow your own. They get to learn your culture. They get to learn the culture of this business. But what they also get to see is if 'this is what I want to do' — and so it’s a win-win for everybody.”

BCS Superintendent Bo Matthews said "for many years, public education has understood the importance of making connections for our students to the real world."

“Preparing students to be life-ready is the challenge of public education,” he said. “We will continue to find ways to mentor, creating opportunities to job shadow, completing internships and providing co-op experiences for our students.”

Matthews said they are “taking things to a new level today.”

“Barren County Schools is one of the largest employers of the county — with over 1,000 employees,” he said. “And we’re continually looking for the best and the brightest to join our family in each position, whether it’s a classroom teacher, a mechanic, a chef or an accountant.

“Upon completion of the apprenticeship program, our students will earn a portable and nationally recognized certification that will be recognized by industries and employers across the United States.”

Matthews said while BCS has created these paid apprenticeships for Culinary Arts and Transportation Maintenance, they have plans to create apprenticeships in “all of our departments.”

“We will continue to expand opportunities for our students,” he said. “We’ll continue to look for ways to strengthen our partnerships with local business and industry leaders."

At the end of Wednesday’s announcement, Hale pointed to a table filled with high school students.

“That’s our future,” he said. “Those are our future apprentice students right there.”

Hale also addressed local business leaders.

“If you don’t have an apprentice, what are you waiting for?”