CHATTANOOGA, TN -- Panelists and employers gathered Tuesday morning on Chattanooga State Community College’s campus to discuss the success of student apprenticeship programs, the importance of vocational education, and the mission of Youth Apprenticeship Week. 

Spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Youth Apprenticeship Week brings together employers, educators, and community partners from across the nation to create and support programs that allow young people to earn money while gaining relevant job skills and college credit during high school. 

Representatives from ChattState, Hamilton County Schools, and Komatsu spoke during a panel discussion about the benefits of apprenticeships to students and the local manufacturing industry. The panel discussion was attended by more than 40 individuals from local companies. 

ChattState’s Economic and Workforce Development Division works with local partners to offer apprenticeships, but also strategically partners with local employers and Hamilton County Schools aim to streamline students’ paths to hands-on learning and sustainable employment. 

Hamilton County School’s Director of Future-Ready Students, Dr. Olivia Bagby, said her goal is to help students find careers “by choice, not by chance.” 

“We want students to be passionate and excited about where they’re heading, and we want them to drive that car toward where they want to go in life,” she said. “I put up some guardrails so they’re safe, but I want to ensure that they are driving their own future. I’m putting down as much pavement and support as I possibly can as they head to that spot.” 

Walt Nichols, Vice President, Komatsu North America Manufacturing Operations, said the success of Komatsu’s pre-apprentice program is evident in its retention of apprentices after graduation. 

"We started out with five pre-apprentices, all seniors [in high school],” he said. “They spent 10 months with us as apprentices, and now they all work for us full-time. We had 100 percent retention.” 

Komatsu is currently training six apprentices in the 2024 cohort and will bring in 10 more next year, he said. 

“This resurgence of technical training in high schools and colleges is very refreshing,” Nichols said. “We realized that was a great opportunity for us to supplement our workforce.” 

Austin Angland is a current Komatsu apprentice and industrial maintenance student at  ChattState. He said he appreciates the opportunity to gain useful skills and get to work sooner without having to complete a four-year degree, all while being paid to learn. 

“When you go to work as an apprentice, you get real-life experience. It has really expanded my knowledge of how machines operate and how to fix them,” Angland said. “I think an apprenticeship is a great opportunity to not only get better at what you want to do, but also learn new skills.” 

At Komatsu, each apprentice is paired with a carefully selected mentor. Angland’s mentor is James Shackleford, who works in maintenance at Komatsu. 

Shackleford said mentoring is about more than teaching students a trade—it also offers mentors the opportunity to see the job from an outside perspective. 

“Many of our apprentices have never been in a manufacturing environment. It’s a good opportunity to see it through different eyes, for us,” he said.  

In addition to gaining practical skills, maintenance apprentices learn to identify a problem and work backward to solve it, a useful tool for professionals in any industry. 

“In maintenance, you’re thrown into a problem-solving, critical-thinking tapestry,” Shackleford said. “You’re going into stuff that’s broken down, and you’re trying to problem-solve and troubleshoot.”   

When it comes to supplementing the local workforce, few methods prepare students to be work-ready as well as an apprenticeship program, said Bo Drake, Vice President of ChattState's TCAT and Economic and Workforce Development. 

“In my opinion, youth apprenticeships and adult registered non-union apprenticeship programs are an incredible way for our employer community to unlock hidden talent right here and right now,” he said.