September 2015 finds Gaston College initiating a new initiative that will enable local companies to hire and train the workers they need to remain competitive in today and tomorrow’s market.
Gaston College is now administering the first community college state-recognized apprenticeship program. Going by the name ‘Apprenticeship 321’, the program welcomed 23 students to its inaugural apprenticeship class.
In the program, companies select applicants and pay for the cost of their training, in addition to paying them to work on a part-time basis. Three days a week, the apprentices will work regular shifts and spend two afternoons attending classes. The program is divided into four tracks, but all apprentices take the same courses the first year and then diverge into one of the four specialties.
According to Patricia Skinner, Gaston College president, the college received $200,000 in grant money from the National Science Foundation this summer to be used to be used as startup funds for the program. The program is set up in anticipation of having a minimum of 20 to 30 apprentices, and preferably even more, so as to remain cost efficient.
Gaston College will likely be working closely with a printing company to recruit more businesses to take part in Apprenticeship 321. The companies, for their part, will likely have little difficulty finding applicants who want to earn an associate’s degree and graduate with a nationally recognized certification and no college debt.
Location
495 E. Long Avenue
Gastonia, NC 28054
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Hours
Mon: 8:30 - 5:00
Tue: 8:30 - 5:00
Wed: 8:30 - 5:00
Thu: 8:30 - 5:00
Fri: 8:30 - 4:00
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed