Earn while you learn:
The skinny on apprenticeship programs

The last thing students at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton are worried about is money. That’s because their school can set them up with free tuition, room and board, a job after college and a regular paycheck to help buy books. If it sounds too good to be true, think again. In partnership with Northrop Grumman Newport News, Thomas Nelson Community College offers a cooperative education program that combines in-class education and real-world training.

“Students are basically given the chance to earn an associate’s degree in Computer-Aided Drafting and Design or other engineering-related programs, have their degree paid for on a forgivable loan basis and have at least two terms of paid cooperative work experience,” says Rex Evans, vice president of Workforce Service and Cooperative Education at Thomas Nelson. “After graduation, the student would also be in a good position to be hired by the company as a designer.”

Those who enroll in Thomas Nelson’s Design Co-op Program spend two years in the classroom earning their degree and eight months working in the field under the supervision and mentorship of an area employer. Alternating one semester in the classroom and one semester in the field, students will be able to earn up to $2,150 a month while working. If they perform well during the apprenticeship period, students also will be offered a job with the firm after graduation with a starting salary of about $31,000. Students will also receive company benefits and will have their student loans paid for by Northrop Grumman if they work for the company for two years.

“When you add it all up, it’s about an $18,000 package, and if a student is willing to work two years for Northrop Grumman, that’s a tremendous scholarship incentive,” says Evans.

Even if they don’t decide to sign on with Northrop Grumman, co-op students will still have an impressive résumé and an edge over the competition in the job market.

“Co-op students have demonstrated that they can do what the employer expects of them in terms of getting to work on time, communicating with their co-workers, completing projects on time, and they’ve been given feedback from their employer and have learned to accept feedback,” says Evans. “That gives them an advantage over someone with just a degree.”

Apprentice and cooperative education programs like the design program offered at Thomas Nelson are a fantastic way to get an education, beef up your résumé, and avoid going broke in the process. Careerprospects.org reports that there are currently half a million people across the country completing apprenticeships in areas ranging from horse grooming to computer programming, and there are more than 30,000 apprenticeship programs available nationwide. Most apprenticeship programs require 2,000 to 8,000 hours of service (anywhere from one to four years of work) and 144 credit hours.

To find apprenticeship programs near you, contact your local community college or technical school and check out our list of apprenticeship resources.

Next Step
The first step to landing an apprenticeship is finding one. These four resources will help you find the work-study program that fits you best.

• Careerprospects.org
  Outlines exactly what an apprenticeship is and helps you find in-state apprenticeship programs.
• Apprenticeshipsearch.com
  Take the employability skills quiz to find out where your talents lie; then search for apprenticeship positions by trade.
• Job Corps
  The largest residential education training program for students ages 16-24, Job Corps offers hundreds of work-based learning experiences for young adults.
• Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services
  Broken down by location, this Web site will help you find apprenticeship programs in your own back yard.