Fayetteville Apprenticeship Fact Sheet

 

 

Economic Impact of the Fayetteville Apprenticeship Program

 

Each week our high school apprentices working an average of 20 hours per week generate approximately $12,681.  For the first nine weeks of this year our students generated approximately $114,133.50.

 

Our high school apprentices generated  $487,000 for the school year and approximately $405,792 working 40 hours per week for the summer creating a total of $892,792 per year for the high school students.

 

Our post secondary apprentices generate approximately $46,995 per week working 30 hours per week during the school year and working 40 hours per week generating $1,002,560 during the summer with a total of $2,694,380 per year.

 

The total economic impact of the Fayetteville Apprenticeship Program for one year is approximately $3,587,172.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fayetteville Apprenticeship – Fact Sheet 2007

Enrollment Information

 

1.      There are 241 students in our post-secondary program.

 

2.      There are 257 students enrolled in our secondary program.  We are adding new students each day.

 

3.      There are 27 students enrolled in our medical program in partnership with NWACC.  NWSCC has donated approximately $30,000 to allow students to become certified in the Certified Nursing Assistant Program and the Patient Care Assistant Program. 

 

4.      In 2006, 102 students became Apprenticeship Completers and received a certificate stating that they had completed 2000 hours of on-the-job training, and two years of post-secondary training.

 

5.      Already in 2007, we have 39 students who have received completer status.

 

6.      Update – Vital Link Pilot Project with NOARK

 

7.      Update – Presentation for ASTD – June meeting with the VP in charge of the training division at Wal-mart

 

8.      Update –  NWACC Medical Program funded by Department of Labor grant will continue 

 

     9.  Professional Development Workshop for Teachers with

          visits to business sites for five days – August Workshop

 

    10.  Challenges:  Non-Profit Status, Student numbers will

            again exceed 150

 

Notes from Apprenticeship Students In their own words:

 

 

Aristotle said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn best doing them.”  This is the same way the Apprenticeship program works.  The program teaches you how to do the best on the job to prepare for the future of employment and the responsibilities of being an adult.  Through the Apprenticeship Program, I have had good and bad experiences and learned from the both of them.  I have also seen why students should have the opportunity for working in Apprenticeship, and how my Apprenticeship job will prepare me for the future.”

 

“Working at my company has made me a better worker overall.  I have learned how to communicate with people a lot better and I am happy to do so.  At first I didn’t know how to talk to people other than my friends I’m around all the time, and I really enjoy being able to have a conversation with people I don’t normally see everyday.  Also working at my company has made me work a lot harder.  When I first started I was really lazy and never wanted to do anything but I realized that never gets anything done faster at all so I stepped it up, way up.”

 

“I think students should have the opportunity for working in Apprenticeship because it shows young adults the important of working.  It gives the students a chance to learn about finances and the responsibilities of having a job.  As I said before, the experience for this job has helped me improve my communication and personal skills.  Another reason the program is great is because you get school credit for working at your job.”

 

“My Apprenticeship job has helped me get into the work force.  It has helped me to understand the value of positive relationships between the company, employees and customers.  It has given me a chance to grow and develop important skills for my future”

 

“At the job I have learned that to be honest is always more rewarding than to lie, because if you get caught in a lie it can mean real trouble.  For example, it is always better to admit you have made a mistake than to try to cover it up.  In terms of work ethics, I am almost always at my desk earlier than they expect and stay until I am at a point to stop.  Interacting with my co-workers has been easy because they are laid back and pleasant. Even though I am still fairly quiet, they are good people to be around and very easy to get along with.”

 

“I believe students should have the opportunity to work in the Apprenticeship program because it will give them the chance to explore and see what the work force is really like.  Although Apprenticeship may not be for everybody, eventually people will have to get a job.  This program will prepare students for what lies beyond high school. Likewise, opportunities to earn high school credit and gain a working knowledge of a business are major benefits.  The Apprenticeship job that I have now will help me in the future because I will already know how to do a resume, complete an interview, and know how the basic structure of the working environment is set up and run.  The Apprenticeship experience will also make it easier to transition into a different working environment or job.”

 

“I think that working at my job has taught me a lot about character.  Whenever I first started working there it was a real fast paced environment and I got a first hand experience on how hard and quick people actually worked.  So from that point on I had a respectful attitude for the job.  I learned great people skills because not only did you have to deal with customers but you also had to communicate with your workers at a really fast pace.  I think that students should have an opportunity with Apprenticeship because it helps them towards graduation.  It is really cool being able to work outside of school and at the same time gets credit for it.  I think that every student that is interested in getting a job should actually consider being in Apprenticeship.  I think that Apprenticeship will benefit me in the future as far as getting a good job.  Because Apprenticeship sets you up with great job opportunities and that right there will be a plus on my resume applying for he job of my career.  I realize that because whenever they see my recent job history I know they will be impressed.  That makes me very excited knowing that I have an awesome chance in getting a good job that I know I will enjoy doing.”

 

“One great experience I had was getting a good grade on my mystery shopper.  At first I didn’t think it was a big deal until I had people that I never really talked to that much in the store come up to me and tell me what a great job I did.  It was a time when I felt good about myself and where I worked; proud of an accomplishment and happy to be part of a company that looks after its own people. 

 

“A great experience I had at work occurred recently.  A few weeks back, I passed out dance costumes and all of my dance classes tried them on to make sure that they fit.  As soon as the children put on their costumes, their little faces lit up.  They stared at themselves in the mirror and twirled around the dance studio.  Once I saw how happy the girls were, I instantly realized why I love my job.  Being able to give those children that kind of joy is the greatest feeling.  Before this year, I had never experienced that kind of feeling.  Because of this program, I know that I have done something great for many young girls lives.”

 

“ I believe that students should definitely have the chance to participate in the Apprenticeship Program at Fayetteville High School.  In my opinion, being prepared for the real world is not all about having an education.  Students should be able to experience what it is like to have a job and earn their own money.  I believe that it is also important for students to learn how to budget money.  By having a job and making money that is possible.  The program offers students more than just a job.  Each month we learn about new job opportunities, how to react in certain work environments, safety precautions, and even how to make a correct job resume.  I never would have learned all of these great things without the help of the Apprenticeship Program.  Being able to help students be better prepared for the future is a great thing and that is why I believe that any student should have the opportunity to participate in such a great program.”

 

“I am very thankful that I had the chance to participate in the Apprenticeship Program.  This opportunity has prepared me so much for the future.  I now know what it is like to have a job and be in school at the same time.  Learning how to work my schedule around work and school will be very important when I begin college next fall.  Since I have enjoyed my job so much, I am planning on keeping it for next year.  Thanks to this program, I already have a job that will provide me support to live in the future.  All of the skills that I have learned this year being involved with this program will be very useful later in my life.  I have learned how important it is to be honest, have confidence, work with enthusiasm, and have fun while working.  I will remember all of these things when I begin working full time after college.  Thanks to this program, I know that I am better prepared for the future, and I believe that I will succeed in whatever jobs I may encounter because of the Fayetteville Apprenticeship Program.”

 

“I learned that sometimes you just have to do your job to the best of your ability and hope that it is fulfilling enough, or you won’t have enough energy or motivation when you really need or desire it.  Although I would have learned these skills without Apprenticeship, I wouldn’t have realized that I learned them without reciting them through my journals.  Nor would I have learned about many work related issues such as the Equal Employment Doctrine, which could be of importance to a co-worker or me in the future.  Also, when I decided to change jobs, I already knew about a variety of accessible job search engines through another one of the in-services that we had.  Even from day one of my Apprenticeship acceptance I had some benefit to my future, because that was the first time that I revealed my reasons and choices for the future.  Another unseen aspect is that being in Apprenticeship enabled me to aide the special education department full of outstanding and wonderfully enthusiastic kids.  I began to aide 6th and 7th hour when I didn’t have to work, and didn’t aid full time 5th hour until after the Christmas Break so there isn’t a doubt in my mind that without Apprenticeship I wouldn’t have been able to have that opportunity.  You never know what the future holds, but Apprenticeship will certainly open up a wide variety of opportunities for one’s future so if anyone qualifies, they should definitely accept the chance to be an apprentice, and take advantage of one of the special programs that Fayetteville, unlike many schools offer.”

 

“I have been at my job for about 9 months now and have learned so much from it.  Work ethic is a huge part of the company and because it is employee owned we learn to work extremely hard for our own company and we earn the money we receive.  As far as honesty goes, I have personally never lied in the workplace and if you are unsure in a situation it is a lot better to ask or tell someone up front than to keep wondering.  You can’t always teach yourself at work and I have definitely learned to ask questions.  Actually they very much want you to ask them and not to assume what to do and be wrong.”

 

“As of right now I am unsure about college or any higher education.  But because of the Fayetteville High School Apprenticeship program I know for sure I have one door always open at my company.  If I went to school eight hours a day there is no way the company would still have a spot open for me, but because I could go to school part time and work part time everything is possible.  I would recommend this program to every senior at FHS because of the opportunities you are presented with.  Going to school and working part time while expanding your future could all play out in a huge part in how your life turns out.  This program has now determined my whole immediate future with my career and educational needs.”

 

“There are many things that I have learned while working at my business, such as work ethics, honesty, and people skills.  I learned to be prompt, on time for every shift.  If possible be there at the least five minutes early.  In cases where I would be even two or three minutes late, call ahead and tell the manager on duty.  The thing with honesty that I learned, not from my own experiences but other peoples is that if you are trying to get out of work, do not lie to the boss about it.  He will find out eventually which could then lead to termination.  Be honest about mistakes you make and don’t lie and say that you cannot make it to work because you are sick.  They will ask you for documentation from a doctor!  People skills are obviously a good thing to have whenever you are working in a popular restaurant.  I learned how to talk to the people who aren’t very nice and keep calm.  I learned not to overreact and kill them with kindness, no matter how fussy they are being.”

 

“Many students have the opportunity for working in the Apprenticeship Program and should take it.  The reasons for Apprenticeship are that it gives you a look on what the work force is like.  It will show students what they do and do not like.  Students can also get part time jobs that relate to their future career objectives and see if that is what they really want to do with their future.”

 

“I would say I have learned many things from my working experience.  I think having a job and working for my own money on my own time has greatly changed my personal responsibility as well as my fiscal responsibilities.  This year was the first I had ever had a job, thanks to the Apprenticeship program, and I can honestly say that my work ethic, and my people skills have greatly changed for the better because of this program.”

 

“I think students should get the chance to work in the Apprenticeship program because it is a completely new experience than they have been exposed to.  Whether positive or negative, being put in a new situation is always good for students, and the situations that arose at the worksite were things I would never have to deal with at school.  I am glad I had those experiences because I have matured from them, and I think every student needs these experiences.”

 

“My experience in the Fayetteville Apprenticeship program has been great.  I have had a great learning experience and it has helped me graduate.”  The best experience has been what I have learned about my job in the area of manager skills.  My worst experience is having to fire an employee for cursing out a customer.”

 

“I have learned that honesty, people skills, and work ethics are a great deal to become successful in the workplace.  You have to know how to handle things n order to overcome them.”

 

“The best work experiences I have had involve getting to know my customers and their lifestyle.  I’ve found out that if I really get to know my customer and become a friend instead of a salesman to them, everything goes much more smoothly.  Plus I learn a lot from them and it enables me to set the customer up with what they truly need.  These experiences have affected my honesty, work ethics, and especially my people skills.”

 

“Apprenticeship will benefit me greatly in the future with all the experience it has brought me, I am now able to put two years of retail experience on my resume.  I plan on continuing to work at my business, probably through college and I will continue to learn and benefit from doing so.  Overall, I recommend Apprenticeship to every student.”

 

“Working in the gym helped me get my Personal Trainer Certification and working in the salon helped my modeling career and helped me get published in a magazine.  I loved the Apprenticeship Program.”

 

“I think it is very beneficial for high school students to have a job.  It teaches students to manage their time.  This year, I learned to prioritize and get my homework and work done before I do stuff with friends.  Having a job also helped me become more responsible. My managers and teachers are able to trust me with almost everything.”

 

“I have definitely had many wonderful experiences at my current work site.  One of my favorite experiences occurred on my 18th birthday.  That particular day, I walked into the office only to be greeted by a birthday cake with candles, a present, and singing co-workers.  I felt really great knowing that my co-workers cared enough to remember me on my birthday.”

 

“Because clients are continuously coming into the office, I have definitely sharpened my people skills.  I had to learn to cope with angry clients and confused clients.  I definitely know now how to interact with people on a professional level.  There are times at work when I am the only person in the office.  I enjoy knowing that the people I work with trust me enough to stay in the office unsupervised.  Although I am left alone, I know that my work must get done.”

 

“Students should be able to work in Apprenticeship so that they can learn to prioritize their time.  It is difficult at times to keep a job while in high school.  Apprenticeship provides more working hours each day.  My job experience will help me later in life because it has taught me how to be professionally communicate with others.  I have learned how to effectively deal with not only customers but also my bosses.  I have learned how to ask for help and ask for time off without controversy.  This skill will be useful at my jobs in the future.”

 

“Through my job I have learned many specialized skills but I have also learned a lot of skills that will help me as a person in the work force of America.  I have learned how to do special tasks with the welder, grinder and pretty much all other shop tools.  There has been one instance where I didn’t put my full effort into my work but said I did.  My boss figured this out and I learned the whole reason why it’s so important to be honest.  Good work ethics is important too because it helps ensure the length you will be working at your job and how much your fellow employees like you.”

 

“In the future I feel like I did well enough in Apprenticeship to use it on transcripts and other important forms in which I need resources.  It has also helped me prepare for my working future.  I have learned what it’s like to work in a low paying job and how hard you had to work to get paid more.  Apprenticeship has really done a lot of good things for me throughout my high school year and will probably continue to help me in the future.”

 

“The Apprenticeship program will continue to help me in the future because I have learned many skills that some adults don’t even have.  You need skills for college like responsibility, or manners when talking to people or even your college professor.  The skills I have learned will help me more than ever and I have a big advantage now continuing in college.”

 

“I think it is very important for students to have the opportunity to be in this program because it really is a wonderful program and a great experience.  I see people each day in high school that don’t know even how to fill out an application correctly.  It’s sad to think that some people have not learned the skills I did in your class.  I think that it is very important for all students to at least try it.  It was worth it for me to take and I think that other students will think the same.”

 

“I have acquired a pretty good work ethic.  Which basically consists of if you don’t work you don’t have anything.  I have grown up and been taught my whole life that if you want anything in this world you are going to have to work for it yourself.  This is why I think that having the opportunity to be in apprenticeship is so great.  Students are able to work and start a sense of responsibility.  Then, later in life they will look back and say that their Apprenticeship job was their first job and how it got them ready for the world.  Overall I’m very thankful that Fayetteville High has Youth Apprenticeship because if not I wouldn’t be able to support myself due to my situation.  Thank you ladies you have been wonderful and an answered prayer to my problems.”

 

“Well, Apprenticeship will help me on my next job just from the experience I received from my last job.  My best experiences at work were learning to work with people I had never met before and actually helping them with their computer problems.  I may not like the people I work with or their views on things but I learned how to get along with them without making problems.  This job allowed me to see what the everyday life of the American worker is like and was a very good life experience that I will never forget.  I learned more at work than I did in any of my classes this year; it’s just something you can’t pass up.  I think Apprenticeship is an awesome class and helps you get to know the world before you get set loose into it when you get out of high school.  This program allows you to get actual hands on work and see what it is like.”

 

“I believe that every student should be in Apprenticeship. I know that it has helped me to explore my options.  I think students should be able to go out into the real world to stand up to it and get a real understanding of what they are interested in, so that way they are more knowledgeable on the decisions that they make.  I know that being in Apprenticeship will help me in the future.  Not only can I put it on my resume I am going to be getting my Certified Nursing Assistant license pretty soon and should be starting out making pretty good money as well as getting working experience in what I am most interested; taking care of people.  I hope to one-day work with children.  Whether one thinks so or not some of the classes I have taken in high school have helped me to have a better understanding of the experiences I have had during my time with Apprenticeship.  My AP Psychology and Cultural Studies classes have made me be patient and understanding with people.  My Spanish class has helped me tremendously to communicate with the Spanish Speaker in a sophisticated manner.  I love that I have had the change to experience all these sparks of brilliance within this short amount of time, even though at times I have felt so overwhelmed with responsibility; I am grateful for the blooming of knowledge that has been created within.”

 

“Throughout my high school years I have always had a job at one place or another.  As a sophomore and junior I had a lot of trouble keeping a job and still doing well in school, but when I became a senior I signed up for Apprenticeship and all my problems ceased to exist.”

 

“At work my best experience happened every time I finished work and fully installed it at the work sight and saw the faces of the people who were happy with the work.  It is always pleasing to know when someone else enjoys something that you have worked so hard on to make it perfect for him or her.”

 

“Through Apprenticeship you get the opportunity to work and do school at a more tolerable level.  Since you get to go to work early everyday there is more time afterwards in which you can do home work.  Students should have this opportunity because you need work experience before heading out into the work force and at a young age is the best time to do it.”

 

“The welding class that I enrolled in at RTC helped me learn a lot of basic welding terms and techniques that helped me start my job more smoothly.  We practiced a lot of different joint welds in all my classes and every day I went into work I would usually end up using one of these methods.”

 

 “In all truthfulness, I can’t see how my Apprenticeship job will not help me in the future.  Even if I decide not to focus my career on media production or development, I will always have the experience of a real world job. I am very fortunate; however, that my Apprenticeship job corresponds exactly to the career I wish to pursue for the rest of my life.  I want to make documentaries that will be aired on TV, and hopefully made into feature films.  Every aspect of teachings I have received while working for the Media Department of Fayetteville will provide me with confidence of my ability to produce anything I want to.  The Apprenticeship Program was one of the greatest opportunities of my life.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

 

“The best experience I had at work was when I was doing a birthday party one time.  We don’t advertise that we do birthdays, but if someone asks us to do one, we usually will.  It was a little girl’s birthday, turning 5, and it just so happened that we had cupcakes in the back.  Her mother asked me if I’d sing to her, and right after that we got a huge rush with a track team from South Arkansas.  After they got through the line, I grabbed a Dora the explorer hat, some balloons, and a cupcake with a candle in it.  I went over there and asked her to stand up on her chair and had everyone sing to her.  The entire restaurant was full and every single person sang. I looked at her face and saw the biggest smile on her face, and it just simply made by day.”

 

“My job has taught me a lot of very good life lessons.  I have learned to work very hard and it has improved my people skills by 100%.  I’ve never really been shy, but at work I’ve learned how to talk to almost anyone.  Sometimes people will come in that are in a bad day and really grumpy, and they cheer up when I talk to them because I have learned how to talk to people that are in a bad mood.  I’ve gotten bonuses for giving people my name, and been commented on by customers about how helpful I am and how easy I am to talk to.  I don’t know anyone that has a job harder than mine.  That sounds conceited, but it’s true.  I don’t see that as a negative thing though.  It has taught me exactly what hard work is and the fact that I deserve every penny that I work for is something I’m very proud of.  Also, honesty is something that every person with a job has to experience.  A job is a responsibility and not everyone is perfect. I’ve messed up a couple of times at work and had to be honest about what I did.  No matter what the consequences may be, honesty must always been an important part of a person.”

 

“Each job that I will end up having will benefit me in the future somehow.  I’m glad that working at this place was my first job, because I don’t think that I could have learned more from it.  As each day goes by I love my job more and more because I meet a lot of new people that remember me, and I learn every day that I am growing in my experience at work and in my life.  I will need to use every single thing that I’ve learned at work at least one more time in my life.  Being in Apprenticeship was a great experience that has taught me a lot of things about myself and the real world.”

 

“The best situation at work was when I made a $4500 wicker furniture sale.  It is our goal to sell a much wicker as we can.  My worst situation was when my best friend began working at my business and since I am the manager he thought he could get away with everything, well I had to make a hard decision whether to tell the store manager or not.  I wound up telling him, but my friend wasn’t that mad at me.  Recently I became closing manager and since then, the managers have trusted me more.  I have also learned that I have to work harder as a manager because I have to pick up all the slack of the people who do not want to do their job.  I have matured as a person through working at my company because I had to get over the stage freight of talking to someone I had never met before which really increased my outlook on life.  This experience of being in Apprenticeship will help me in my future because it helped me to learn how to balance, school, work and a personal life.  Thanks for everything you guys have done!!!”

 

“One lesson I learned through Apprenticeship was to always keep track of my journals and hours; this sounds simple but it really was a form of discipline for me.  It would have been so easy not to do them or just give up but I didn’t.  I did them not only for the class but also for me.  I have always struggled with discipline and as cheesy as it sounds Apprenticeship helped.  It helped by the time actually spent at work, and then the processing and recordings of what I did.  It made my time at my job more memorable by having written down things in my memory.”

 

“Another lesson I learned was the value of a good work ethic.  Through Apprenticeship I felt like I had to be a good worker, not only for my own personal morals, but also to represent the school and the program itself.  I did that and feel very proud of the way that I worked throughout this school year.  I also by the journaling, recognized bad from good workers and how that really did affect my mood and everyone else’s.”

 

“The basic conclusion to my year with the Apprenticeship program is that it was very helpful and good; I learned life and people skills outside of the normal school environment.  I wouldn’t have survived school, or had it been so enjoyable if it wasn’t for me being in the program.  I would highly recommend this program to an A student who wants real life experiences that can’t really be taught in the classroom.  I am so thankful for Apprenticeship and my Nursing class, it made my year great and taught me a lot!!!.  So thank you and I thank my business for a great senior year!!!”

 

 

My experience in the Apprenticeship Program was a positive one.  I think that it is the best work program in the nation and I think that it helps people out a lot.  I know Apprenticeship has helped many others and me.  Along with the wonderful opportunities I also had the chance to leave school an hour early.  Each in-service was there to help me and many others on what is in the real world.  Thanks to the Apprenticeship program I am now a reliable worker and enjoy working with many others.

 

“At the job I have learned about honesty, it is always good to be honest so that you can get a promotion and earn trust from managers.  I have learned that it is easier to just go along with everyone and to let the small things go not to hold grudges.  Apprenticeship has taught me a lot about responsibility and to keep priorities before fun.  Apprenticeship is a good program for kids in high school to learn about he working community and how working and going to school is like for the future.  My Apprenticeship job has taught me a lot about the different families and life styles and I want to work with kids when I get older.”

 

“I have learned to deal with patience and just to get along with everyone.  I believe students should be in Apprenticeship because it gives you an overall look at the real world before jumping straight into working right after school.  I have learned that honesty helps to get raises and good reviews.  My job and the Apprenticeship program will help in the future to be a better salesperson, be more responsible and have more job experience.”

 

“My worst experience I’ve had at my job so far was accidentally shredding an important document belonging to my boss.  I got really stressed out about it and couldn’t decide whether or not I should keep quiet about it and see if it blows over or speak up and confess, and try to apologize.  I couldn’t decide and then finally got the nerve up to come clean when I could no longer handle the guilt.  My boss wasn’t upset at all and had a backup for the document after all.  I learned I could say something from now on, and take responsibility for my actions without getting so worked up over it.  I’ve learned so much at my job the past year, and one thing includes what I’ve learned about honesty in the work force.  You have to be honest about everything at work, like in my incident with the shredded paper, so your fellow employees and boss/bosses can trust you.  I’ve learned positive work ethics as well through my job.  As an employee, you have to be responsible and reliable so it’s almost required to have good work ethics.  I have also greatly improved my people skills.  Before, I was very shy and got very nervous when I had to communicate with strangers in public places.  Now, I go to the bank and the post office almost daily, as well as dealing with clients at the office, and it has made me so much more comfortable and outgoing with strangers.  I think students should have the chance to work in Apprenticeship because it’s such a great opportunity.  I’ve learned so much about the job and working world through my employment.  It’s also cool because it’s a good way to tie school into having a job.  I think my Apprenticeship job will help me in the future a lot.  I’ve learned a lot through the program, from the speakers at meetings, and also by hearing about other students in the program’s experiences at their place of employment.  These will both help to influence and help me in my future job experiences.  Apprenticeship has been great and a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to another year.

 

 

“Working with children, building new relationships, staying busy and keeping on task will help me in the future at a hospital I plan to work at.  I need all of these qualities in the Nursing Field to keep my job.  I believe it is important to have these qualities in every field of work but especially in mine because of the amount of people I will interact with each day.  I want to make these ill children better and in order to do that I need to have a close bone with their parents so they will trust me in all my decisions I make for their children.  It’s very clear what I want to do in the future and believe that the Apprenticeship Program has given me lots of knowledge and preparation for what is to come.  Thank you Dr. Phyllis McGinty and all Apprenticeship Business Partners for allowing Fayetteville High School students this opportunity.”