By Stephanie Larkin, VP Education, Safety & Workforce Development, ABC Keystone

On Friday, March 22, 2019, ABC Keystone’s inaugural group of high school pre-apprenticeship students took their seats and prepared to tackle “Introduction to Construction Math” – the first class in their 12-week journey through the NCCER Core Curriculum.

There are a number of reasons to celebrate this groundbreaking group of students. First, the Core Curriculum is tough, even for adults in registered apprenticeship. It covers math, introduction to construction drawings, OSHA-10, basic rigging, materials handling, rough terrain forklift, hand tools, power tools, communications and employability skills. When complete, this curriculum produces a safe, basic laborer sought after by the industry and provides the students with credit towards their first semester of any ABC Keystone registered apprenticeship program.

These Ephrata High School students are finishing their high school academic requirements four days a week and also attend classes at ABC Keystone on a series of 12 consecutive Fridays. The pre-apprenticeship tuition for this class is sponsored by the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board through Business-Education Partnership grant funds. The students will graduate the pre-apprenticeship program at their final class on June 7, a day after their high school graduation.

Another reason to toast their motivation and success is that they are the first group to take this series of pre-apprenticeship classes at ABC Keystone. It’s a learning curve for both the students and the Chapter, as ABC Keystone works through how to best provide this level of knowledge to a younger audience outside of a traditional school setting.

Providing pre-apprenticeship classes at ABC facilities is just one of the many ways the Keystone Chapter is working to increase the industry pipeline of skilled workers.

If you have any questions about pre-apprenticeship or ABC Keystone’s efforts, please contact:
Stephanie Larkin, VP of Education, Safety and Workforce Development, stephanie@abckeystone.org

May 29, 2019