Pre-apprenticeships lead the way to a brighter future for local high school students

If our children are the future, then Cincy-based nonprofit LEAD Training is truly helping to make it much brighter for high schoolers across our region. Founded in 2018, LEAD Training is dedicated to partnering with schools to connect young people to the career resources and counseling they need to transition into successful adulthood. Currently, they operate in 20 high schools across Clermont, Hamilton, Butler and Warren counties, plus a small slice of Montgomery County.

Their newest program is called Pre-Apprenticeships Under One Roof, which offers sophomores through seniors exposure to a wide array of potential career paths without having to commit to a degree or formal apprenticeship. “It’s really a win-win-win for schools, students and employers,” explains Riley O’Grady, LEAD founder and executive director.

Here’s how schools win

LEAD coordinates with schools to meet their needs, in part by sending their staff to embed at the school, including dedicated career counselors. This makes a big difference when you consider that many schools have a ratio of one counselor for every 400 students. Additionally, LEAD aligns with the new standards schools are rated on via their state-issued report cards. “Our content is mapping with standards for report cards for schools,” explains O’Grady. “This is actually quite important for our schools because they’re being evaluated on career, college and workforce readiness based on the new standards.” LEAD programs are highly correlated with higher graduation rates and helping students earn credits toward their degree through professional certifications as part of the experience.

Here’s how students win

Of course, their school’s report card isn’t high on the list of teenage concerns. But they do care about having solid options for their futures. “On the student side, they want to have exposure and experiences, getting the opportunity to go into the field,” says O’Grady.

LEAD’s pre-apprenticeship program focuses on several career clusters, including public service/safety and law, health science, agriculture and culinary, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, information technology, architecture and construction, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They plan to roll out even more career types next year.

A common misconception is that apprenticeships are exclusively for trades, but that isn’t the case with LEAD. “It’s low-risk,” explains O’Grady. “It’s not an apprenticeship. This is a small bite of what’s out there before transitioning into more formal programs.” That means that students who go through a pre-apprenticeship program can go on to earn a college degree, enlist in the service or go into full-time employment.

It also helps students to quickly understand what they do and don’t like. For instance, almost 35% of all students express interest in working in the medical field. Their first stop? A certification called “stop the bleed.” This hands-on experience acts as a shortcut to show some students that the medical field may not be for them. “But it’s no harm,” says O’Grady. “We validate that our hypothesis was wrong and try something else.”

Alternatively, students may find out about a job they didn’t even know existed within the medical field, like respiratory therapist or dental hygienist. Many young people think of only nurses and doctors when they hear “medical,” but there are many additional choices.

Here’s how employers win

Participating in pre-apprenticeship programs helps increase the future pool of qualified applicants. “Pre-apprenticeships are the natural funnel to apprenticeship programs,” explains O’Grady. “We help companies who have an interest to fill their apprenticeship pipeline. It’s our ultimate goal that all the core career clusters will have a pathway into their correlated industry.”

Again, it’s key to understand that this approach is not just for trade jobs and blue collar work. It can also provide a professional path for careers in finance and engineering, for example.

Soft skills are future-proof

In today’s rapidly changing world with new AI innovations emerging practically every day, no one knows what the job market will look like in a few years, let alone a decade from now. However, says O’Grady, “We do know success skills, soft skills, or sometimes called 21^st century skills, that’s something we always need to give to students. Using critical thinking, problem solving, and knowing what it means to be professional.”

A big part of what LEAD teaches young people is about having the right mindset in addition to essential practical skills. “If you’re following what drives you, and you market your sellable skills, you will find money and success,” advises O’Grady. “The mindset piece is often not talked about in career training, but it’s so essential to be aware of all the societal influences, parental influences, self-talk, beliefs about certain jobs and stigmas.”

As much as it delivers hands-on experiences, LEAD equally focuses on helping young people have the right perspective to handle whatever comes next.

As O’Grady puts it, “It’s momentum that can propel them forward.” Pre-apprenticeships create that forward movement to get students started down the path to a brighter future.