Michelin Youth Apprenticeship for GCS Students Nationally Certified

Greenville County Schools’ Partner of the Year, Michelin, was honored by the U.S. Department of Labor for its Youth Apprenticeship program. The program exposes high school students to advanced manufacturing careers. Now in its second year, the apprenticeship achieved national certification during a signing event in Washington D.C. hosted by U..S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta.

Michelin’s Youth Apprenticeship program was launched in 2018 with five students from Golden Strip Career Center who expressed interest and aptitude in mechatronics. This hands-on learning experience provides a minimum of 2,000 paid hours of on-the-job training with a Michelin mentor in a Michelin manufacturing facility, in addition to 240 hours of customized instruction at a career center. Applicants are evaluated on leadership skills, math and mechanical aptitude, work experience, motivation, and team work.

Two of the five apprentices, Johnathan Harper and Aidan O’Boyle, along with Greenville County Schools Interim Director of Career and Technical Education, Tara Dean, made the trip to Washington as guests of Michelin.

Designed by Michelin’s maintenance training team in collaboration with Greenville County Schools in South Carolina, the Youth Apprenticeship program provides a pathway for high school students to transition into Michelin’s Technical Scholars program. Michelin provides Technical Scholars with free tuition, fees and books while they complete a skilled technical program at a community college; hourly pay for 20 hours of work per week in a Michelin facility; and eligibility for entry-level employment upon graduation, with starting salary projections around $56,000 or more.