Youth Apprentice Spotlight: Drake Head, Engineering Assistant, Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeships

Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeships (CRYA) at Trident Technical College (TTC), a National Partner of the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), prepares high school juniors and seniors for rewarding careers in a variety of fields. CRYA combines supervision, structured on-the-job training, related technical instruction, and personal and professional development. Students prepare for careers in fields such as business, industrial and engineering technology, and health care.

The engineering apprenticeship program at TTC was created in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Project Lead the Way Inc. (PLTW). This Indianapolis-based nonprofit provides schools with science, technology, engineering, and math curricula. Students are eligible for the apprenticeship program after completing two PLTW Engineering courses at their high school. From there, students can continue the PLTW Engineering pathway through their junior and senior years as they pursue their apprenticeship. The Engineering Youth Apprenticeship Program will help connect high school students to high-demand engineering careers and connect employers with PLTW students who have the knowledge and skills to fill their labor needs.

Last month, PAYA Policy Analyst Bianca Dacres sat down with Drake Head to briefly discuss his experience as a TTC apprentice. Drake is a proud alumnus of TTC’s Engineering Assistant Pathway Apprentice program and is now a Citadel student and Industrial Engineering Technician at KION North America.

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