Board of Higher Ed hears insights, benefits
Top industry professionals from across the state presented to the Utah Board of Higher Education on Aug. 30, at its meeting, where they discussed work-based learning opportunities for students in partnership with K-12 and higher education providers made possible by Talent Ready Utah funding. Work-based apprenticeships and internships offer Utah students real-world experiences in high school and college, helping them develop key competencies while giving employers access to top talent produced by Utah’s higher education system.
Through the Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection (TRAC) program, high school students can earn meaningful work experience and skills for a successful career in Advanced Manufacturing. TRAC apprenticeships are currently offered in Salt Lake School District and at Salt Lake Community College in partnership with Stadler Rail, Dopplmayr, Mondi and Utah Paper Box.
“We know [apprenticeships] work; we know they benefit employers,” said Lucy Andre, CEO at Stadler Signalling North America and Chief of Staff at Stadler U.S. “One of the reasons we picked Utah was because we knew the partners here—other industry partners, the state and the educational institutions—were really going to be partners with us in joining in our workforce development here.”
Salt Lake City School District Superintendent Liz Grant added, “I’ve looked at apprenticeships across the country, and I don’t think there is anything that rivals what’s been created by Stadler for us in Utah in partnership with Talent Ready.”
As a current apprentice for Stadler Rail, Jorge Martinez, said, “What we are taught at school… gets applied at work. You can see the benefit of doing school and work; they go really well hand-in-hand. It’s been an amazing opportunity being in this program.”
High school students can also take part in Utah Aerospace, Life Sciences, Utah Rotor, Utah Engineering, Architecture, Construction, and Diesel Tech Pathways to earn an industry-recognized credential paired with additional work-based learning opportunities and a guaranteed job interview after completion.
“The Utah Aerospace Pathway (UAP) continues to serve as an essential talent pipeline for entry-level positions each year and has provided [the] future workforce with an elevated work-based learning experience for just about a decade. It gives industry the ability to develop strong education partnerships,” said Workforce Learning and Development Leader for The Boeing Company for the Commercial Airplane Division and Chair for Utah Aerospace Pathway Jordan Hill. “After joining the company, we typically see the students more motivated to become a leader or technical specialist. We see on average 100% retention in industry and 75% retention in the company for UAP graduates versus non-graduates.”
USHE college students can additionally take part in Talent Ready Connections and the Utah Defense Manufacturing Community work-based learning opportunities.
“The Utah Board of Higher Education remains focused on work-based learning as it supports our mission ‘to provide valuable education that meets the workforce needs and enhances the wellbeing and prosperity of all Utahns,’” said Steve Neeleman, Utah Board of Higher Education Vice Chair. “We believe that partnerships with employers and integrating work-based learning into educational programs will drive innovation in education and workforce development.”
Workforce partners in attendance at the meeting included Brad Robeson (Clean Machine), Kathy Bennett (Tanner Clinic), Berton Earnshaw (Recursion), Jordan Hill (Boeing), Lucy Andre (Stadler Rail), Elizabeth Grant (SLC School District Superintendent), Laura Deshazo (SLC School District), Jennifer Sanders (Salt Lake Technical College) and Jorge Martinez (Stadler Apprenticeship). For the full discussion recording, visit ushe.edu.
USHE’s Talent Ready Utah was originally founded with work-based learning as a core mission. TRU continues to partner with colleges and universities to integrate work-based learning through targeted workforce development funding provided by the Utah Legislature. Employers can join employer group apprenticeships or start their own. More details and resources are available at talentready.ushe.edu.
