RALEIGH, N.C. (January 8, 2016) - More than 100 North Carolina manufacturers, economic development agencies, and community college leaders – along with student-apprentices – came together today for the first-ever Apprenticeship Summit. Co-hosted with the NC Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), the day-long event, held at Wake Tech’s Beltline Education Center, included workshops and roundtables about best practices for apprenticeship programs in manufacturing.

 

NCTAP is a partnership among leading Triangle-region manufacturers and community colleges. High school juniors begin working on an associates’ degree in engineering and get on-the-job training – paid for by their future employer. Wake Tech is the founding community college partner for NCTAP, and the college has helped to develop the four-year curriculum and identify partner companies for the program. NCTAP is the largest of eight such partnerships across the state, all of which sent representatives to the Summit.

 

Today’s summit brought partners together to share experiences and insights. NC Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry and NC Commerce Secretary John Skvarla spoke, along with State Senator Chad Barefoot and German apprenticeship expert Dr. Johann Fortwengel. The groups toured Wake Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, a 3,000-square-foot, one-stop shop for training in basic and advanced machining, automation, and circuit board technologies. The center opened in 2015 to provide a customizable training space for Wake County business and industry. The summit concluded with trips to NCTAP partner facilities, including Buhler Aeroglide in Cary, Schunk in Morrisville, and Superior Tooling in Wake Forest.

 

“The summit met its goals – and far exceeded my expectations,” said NCTAP Executive Director Kent Misegades. “We have fostered a very productive exchange between businesses, workforce development leaders, and educators while showcasing our student-apprentices’ skills and what they’ve accomplished.”

 

To learn more about participating in NCTAP through Wake Tech, contact Michael Moore, Director of Apprenticeship, at 919-335-1043 or [email protected].

 

For more information about NCTAP visit www.nctap.org.