Merrill High School Youth Apprenticeship
Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program is a rigorous one or two-year elective program for high school juniors and seniors that combines academic and technical instruction with mentored, paid, on-the-job-training that makes a real-world connection for students.
The YA program began in 1992 with 200 employers state-wide providing real-life work experiences for 348 high school juniors and seniors working to complete an apprenticeship. Today more than 22,000 students are learning from more than 10,000 employers through the YA program.
Each year on average more than 100 MHS juniors and seniors gain valuable, real-life experience at area businesses while taking classes related to their work responsibilities. Students work 450 hours each year of their one or two year YA program, completing a competency checklist associated with their specific apprenticeship with the guidance of their workplace mentor and the school district’s YA coordinator. Related classes are taken at the high school, technical college, and/or nearby universities.
Why YA for Employers
Benefits:
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Shape the quality of your future workforce
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Recruit potential employees
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Develop partnerships with Merrill High School
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Build greater employee loyalty and lower turnover
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Create positive PR by helping youth with employment and education
Responsibilities:
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Meet with the YA Coordinator to review YA program and job checklist
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Submit quarterly surveys to the YA Coordinator
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Complete YA Checklist when apprenticeship is complete
Why YA for Students
Benefits:
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Earn a paycheck while learning from skilled professionals
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Learn the importance of teamwork, organization, and efficiency
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Earn one credit per semester for successful employment
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Be excused to go to work up to 2 periods a day if grades, attendance and schedules allow
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Receive a Certificate of Occupational Proficiency from the state of Wisconsin.
Responsibilities:
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Complete and return YA registration forms and contract
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Good attendance at school and work
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Display responsibility and maturity both at school and at work
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Complete weekly work logs through Google Classroom
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Keep communication open with employer/mentor and YA Coordinator
YA Career Program Areas
Agriculture
Architecture & Construction
Finance
Health
Hospitality
Information Technology
Manufacturing
Marketing
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)
Transportation, Distribution, Logistics
Watch our YA video to learn more about the Youth Apprenticeship Program, to learn if it might be right for you and how to become a Youth Apprentice:
MHS YA
Become a Youth Apprentice
After completing a Youth Apprenticeship, you might find a great career path through a Registered Apprenticeship (RA)
Registered Apprenticeships (RA) offer numerous benefits to both employers and jobseekers. An apprenticeship is considered post-secondary education, similar to attending a college or university, but there's also a big difference. Apprentices learn only a portion of their skills in a traditional classroom. They receive most of their training on the job while working for an employer who pays a good wage. Employment is the primary requirement for an apprenticeship - a job must exist for the apprentice to be trained. Classroom instruction is usually provided through the Wisconsin Technical College system.
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship/default.htm#1
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship/individuals.htm
YA Partnerships
Every month an item in the Foto News highlights the partnership between a student and an employer participating in the YA program. Meet some of our outstanding students and business partners:
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Contact information for Linda Murray , Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator for Merrill High School
linda.murray@mapsedu.org
715-536-4594 ext.18039
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