January 2021
Working with the Urban Institute, Tennessee Valley Youth Apprenticeships (TVYA) launched its first registered youth apprenticeship program for Blount County, Tennessee, in summer 2020.
Apprenticeships are open to high school students at Maryville City Schools, Blount County Schools, and Alcoa City Schools starting in the summer after their junior year. The program will initially offer apprenticeships with local businesses specializing in information technology, culinary arts, and building maintenance. As employers learn the value of youth apprenticeships in creating a skilled workforce, TVYA hopes to expand to more occupations.
Through TVYA, students receive work-based learning from their schools and employers; progressive wages as they increase their skills; and a nationally recognized, US Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Certificate of Completion in their respective fields.
To help launch TVYA, Urban provided hands-on technical assistance in the form of guidance and support in exploring and developing the registered apprenticeship programs, access to on-the-job training curricula, and navigation though the registration process.