By Preston Gardner, Chief Operating Officer
As a company in the education industry, we understand the value of fostering student passions and offering them pathways that align with their interests. That mentality is a driving factor in Palmer Hamilton’s partnership with Elkhorn High School in its youth apprenticeship program.
Every year, we work with the local school district to bring aboard 1-2 student apprentices who come to work for Palmer Hamilton as part of their school curriculum. This paid opportunity provides students with real work experience that allows them to develop skills they will utilize for the rest of their careers.
Palmer Hamilton is not the only company to utilize this program. During the 2024-25 school year, there were over 11,000 youth apprentices working at over 7,000 companies in the state of Wisconsin alone. Manufacturing had the second largest pool of participants, after health sciences, and the benefits for both students and companies are clear indications as to why.
Supporting Students
The goal of the youth apprenticeship program is to provide participants with as close to an authentic on-the-job experience as possible while accounting for their unique needs as students. Each apprentice is paired with a mentor within the company for their initial training, ongoing support and job shadowing. Along with offering a safety net for the mentee, this provides them with a model of what their career could look like if they continue to pursue this path.
metalworking industry
Over the past several decades, many schools have made incredible improvements to expanding education opportunities for students, with courses in skilled trades in addition to traditional subjects. Working with community partners in models such as the youth apprenticeship program can help further expand these capabilities. For example, one of the schools we work with offers both Welding 1 and Welding 2 as courses in the building. Students looking to pursue it further than what’s offered in the classroom can do so as apprentices.
For many students, the apprenticeship program offers confirmation that manufacturing is the path for them. However, for some, they find that it’s different from what they expected and ultimately not the right choice. We consider either outcome a success. A student turning away from a career in our industry may seem like an odd thing to celebrate, but it just means they’re one step closer to finding their best fit. An apprenticeship program allows them to either confirm or eliminate a career possibility without the cost of college or trade school and without the pressure of a full-time job.
In addition to the security to explore their passions in a trial-type setting, youth apprenticeships provide the chance for students to develop marketable skills. The technical skills required to do the job are important, and graduates of the program have a leg up when they enter the workforce. However, the soft skills developed from on-the-job experience are even more critical, no matter what career students decide to pursue. How to communicate and be responsible, time management and other fundamentals of what makes a great employee are paramount for young professionals entering the job market. The introduction to and development of these skills in the youth apprenticeship program sets them up for success in a way that is simply not possible in the classroom.
Growing the Industry
An apprenticeship program is highly beneficial to the student participants, but it also can have a positive impact on the industry at large. Labor shortages pose a significant challenge across most skilled trades, and furniture manufacturing is no exception. Youth apprentices who choose to stick with the industry leave the program prepared to enter the job market. Many stayed with Palmer Hamilton, and many have gone off to other companies. Either way, the industry is better for it.
Even those who don’t participate in the program are more likely to pursue skilled trades thanks to Palmer Hamilton’s involvement. Students are facing important decisions about their future at younger and younger ages. Our partnerships with local schools allow us to get in front of these students and show them the career pathways that are available to them. We often work with STEM/STEAM programs and other groups to bring kids into the facility and show them work opportunities that they may not have known about before.
Applications for these programs go beyond manufacturing. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Youth Apprenticeship site lists a variety of fields were students and companies have found success, including agriculture, arts and communications, hospitality, finance and public safety.
There is often hesitation among businesses to bring in high school students for a youth apprenticeship program. The thought is often that the students are simply too young and unprofessional, or that the employees working with them would be more babysitters than mentors. We had similar concerns while developing our youth apprenticeship program. However, we have seen first-hand that, with the right support in place, high schoolers are more than capable of taking on this responsibility. We would encourage all companies to talk to other businesses and research the possibilities. You may have the opportunity to partner with schools and develop a program that is enriching to both the students and your company, while investing in the future of the work force.