Vermont Department of Labor Launches New Apprenticeship Program at St. Johnsbury Academy
The Vermont Department of Labor brought its focus on workforce development to the Northeast Kingdom recently with an event marking National Apprenticeship Week at St. Johnsbury Academy. Representatives from the Department of Labor highlighted apprenticeship opportunities and celebrated the launch of a new partnership between the Career and Technical Education program at SJA and Vermont State University. This collaboration allows students to become Registered Vermont Apprentices and also enables CTE instructors to deliver Level 1 Electrical and Heating and Plumbing related technical instruction, through affiliation with VSU, to high school students, marking a milestone in expanding access to career training in these high-demand industries. Students enrolled in the program are able to complete one or two years of a career apprenticeship while still in high school.
This new partnership provides students with hands-on training and industry-recognized certifications in electrical or plumbing trades, and the Level 1 RTI instruction is a critical first step toward achieving professional licensure, offering students a head start on careers in the skilled trades. In order to become a licensed journeyman electrician or plumber in Vermont, aspiring tradespeople must complete four years of school and 8,000 hours of hands-on work. St. Johnsbury Academy heating and plumbing students can currently complete year one of their apprenticeship and in-class work, and electricity students can complete years one and two. In order to fulfill the requirements of the two-year apprenticeship program in electricity, students take double-block electricity classes spending Monday and Friday in the classroom and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday on the job site. Registered Vermont Apprentices can also use summer employment to help fulfill the 8,000-hour requirement.
SJA electricity teacher Jeremy Roberts and heating and plumbing teacher Jeffrey Roberts have both embraced this opportunity for students to fulfill apprenticeship requirements while still in high school. Jeremy Roberts has spearheaded the effort working with Vermont State University, Vermont Department of Labor, and other state departments. He said, “My goal in this partnership is to give our students at the St. Johnsbury Academy the academic knowledge and real-world field experience needed to have the best chances of success when they leave us to enter the workforce.” Roberts continued, “The fact that students from other schools have already joined our CTE classes specifically to participate in our apprenticeship program shows how much interest there is. We would expect this trend to continue.”
One of the SJA’s electrical students who is participating in the program, senior Casey Prue, shared his enthusiasm: “My experience with the electrical program at the Academy has been quite simply amazing. When I first decided to take the Intro to Electricity class, I chose it as a way to have a class with no homework. After a few days in the class, I fell in love with it. The work was fun, hands-on, and interesting, but the biggest thing of all that had me hooked was my teacher. Mr. Roberts is like no other teacher I’ve ever had before, not only does he make everyone in his class feel like they belong, but he’s the kind of teacher who changes students’ lives. Whether you take the double block class like I did, or only take an intro class, you learn skills that will help you for your entire lives. Mr. Roberts has also been teaching the apprenticeship program at the Academy. Being able to get a head start on my apprenticeship is a huge jump start to becoming a master electrician. I will graduate as a third-year apprentice, putting me two years ahead of most kids who are trying to become electricians and have to start after they graduate from high school. I will only have two more years of classes and many fewer hours to spend working under a master electrician before I can become a journeyman electrician. I am very grateful to be one of the few kids in the state who has the privilege to do this, and I am excited to see how much I benefit later in life from this opportunity.”
The partnership between high school Career and Technical Education in Vermont and Vermont State University reflects a growing emphasis on collaboration to address the workforce challenges in Vermont and has been an area emphasized by Governor Phil Scott. VDOL Commissioner Michael Harrington recently highlighted the broader goals of such initiatives: “By fostering partnerships like this, we’re not only preparing students for rewarding careers but also addressing the labor shortages that are critical in sectors like electrical trades.” St. Johnsbury Career and Technical Education Department Chair, Pat Guckin echoed Harrington’s sentiment: “The state electrical and plumbing apprenticeship programs are game changers for our students. They provide hands-on training, real-world experience, and a direct pathway to high-paying, in-demand careers. These programs not only empower students with practical skills but also sets them up for a lifetime of opportunities in the rapidly growing electrical and plumbing industries.”
This initiative is a model for how schools, higher education institutions, and government agencies can work together to build a skilled labor force and underscores the importance of integrating technical instruction into secondary education to meet both student and employer needs. Additionally, the site-specific work required by the program has benefitted local organizations; recent work has been done to the Wheelock Town Hall and Barnet School.
St. Johnsbury Academy’s leadership in this effort demonstrates its commitment to serving as a bridge between education and the workforce, ensuring students are well-equipped for the future. Headmaster Dr. Sharon Howell said, “We are grateful for Jeremy Roberts’ efforts to put SJA at the leading edge of innovative programs—like his own and that of plumbing teacher Jeff Roberts— that prepare our students for careers. Their insistence that high school students are able to master skills and achieve at a high level was instrumental in making the 2nd-year apprenticeship program happen for us. SJA’s commitment to strong CTE instruction, programming, and field experience is total, and partnerships with higher education and local businesses are part of that commitment. We hope to help our students—young people who have had the experience of an SJA education—to stay and do important jobs in their communities.”
