Maryland Department of Commerce issued the following announcement on June 18.
Maryland is expanding school-based career and technology programs to help students turn paid summer jobs into much more.
Anne Arundel is just one school district where career-tech students are getting hands-on experience that is taking them outside the classroom and into the real world.
"We have a hundred interns at NSA (National Security Agency) a year, Anne Arundel Medical Center, Baltimore Washington Medical Center. We tie them in to our curricular programs, which just enhances that experience even more," said Bob Mosier, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County School District.
That is exactly what the state had in mind when it urged local school systems to expand apprenticeship programs.
"When they graduate from high school they have the opportunity to go to work," said Kelly Schulz, Maryland's secretary of labor. "This is a real job that allows them the opportunity to know the environment and understand what it takes to maybe go and fulfill a career pathway."
The Apprenticeship Maryland program started a little more than 15 years ago in a handful of school districts. It continues to grow with a focus on learning and earning. It has attracted students who may not consider college as an option.
"This will give the kids who are not ready to make that decision some time to think about it further, and actually have a real job and make some money while they're doing it," said Richard Benfer, of the Anne Arundel County Teachers Association.
The state's Labor Department said expanding the apprenticeship program will help meet the demands of employers looking to fill a growing number of vacant jobs.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Maryland Department of Commerce
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