Triad Program Lets your Child Work while getting a Free College Education
By: Donna Hayes
Get paid to train for your future career while you’re going to college for free? And the average starting salary after graduation is $50,000 a year?
It may sound too good to be true, but it’s a reality for some rising high school juniors and seniors.
“We’re working with Mathematica and Jobs for the Future and some other national organizations to see what our secret sauce is to kind of spread the word to help other programs that are starting across the country,” said Ann Flynt, the Director of Guilford Apprenticeship Partners.
Flynt says a program right here in the Piedmont Triad is so successful; it’s getting attention around the country. She’s the Director of GAP. It’s a workforce initiative based at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro that offers students apprenticeships.
“We look for employers who are looking to hire and increase their talent pipeline,” says Flynt. “We recruit motivated high school juniors and seniors to enter into the program, who want to work, they want to go to college, they want to get paid to earn and learn, and they get a degree, good experience. It’s kind of a win-win for everybody,” said Flynt.
Students explore jobs in at least nine different career fields, from accounting to information technology to pharmacy tech. They get paid for 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and classroom time. All tuition, books, and fees are covered, so students graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree from Guilford Technical Community College debt-free.
Flynt says the program is good for students who can’t afford college and who don’t want a financial burden, and it’s good for local companies that are struggling to find qualified employees.
“We keep hearing about all these different companies that are joining the area,” said Flynt. “Our workforce and talent pool is already shrinking just with the demographics of the area. So, I think it’s of the utmost importance to kind of make sure that our companies are well taken care of and well-staffed.”
35 students graduated from the GAP program in early August. The students told us that it felt good to graduate and move into the workforce, and thanks to the GAP program, they don’t have student loan debt to repay.
Now it’s time to enroll a new class. 46 students have already signed their intention letters to begin the program. Candidates must be a high school junior or senior to apply.