The Chamber has been hosting a series of small meetings this fall with industry leaders in business services, IT, health care and advanced manufacturing to introduce them to a new statewide movement to introduce multi-year apprenticeships to high school students. Based on the Swiss model, these apprenticeships put students in workplace learning environments for several days a week beginning as a high school junior and within 3-4 years they graduate with a high school diploma and an industry certification and/or Associates degree.
Grand Junction, Denver and Lamar were selected to pilot the program which hopes to place 20,000 students annually in these apprenticeships within the next ten years.
The community was selected because of the close cooperation and collaboration that already exists between School District 51, Western Colorado Community College, Mesa County Workforce Center and the Grand Junction Chamber.
If you would like to learn more about the program or hosting an apprentice, please contact Diane (diane@gjchamber.org).
Click here to download full version of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce November 2016 Newsletter.