LOUISVILLE, KY – Alex Brooks, Trey Hall, and Charles Smith, 2023 graduates of Lawrence County Schools, have earned nationally-recognized certifications in Information Technology as part of a U.S. Department of Labor-approved Registered Apprenticeship. Funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), this 2-year program is an initiative led by Louisville-based Dataseam, who earned $1,500,000 from the ARC to expand technology workforce opportunities for high school juniors and seniors in the eastern Kentucky region.
The graduates were recently recognized by the Lawrence County Board of Education for completion of the program by Dataseam and district officials.
The U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship provides vital skills as part of coursework, on-job training, and mentorship in a competency-based program. Overseen by the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, schools serve as employer-partners in conjunction with Dataseam. As part of the opportunity, participating schools earn technology addressing advanced curriculum needs providing sustainability to Registered Apprenticeship and other knowledge-based workforce efforts.
All will soon be heading to university to meet vital workforce needs for the Eastern Kentucky region. Alex Brooks will study Education and Charles Smith will major in Space Systems Engineering, both at Morehead State University; Trey Hall is to pursue a degree at Eastern Kentucky University in Manufacturing Engineering and Design. With completion of the DOL Registered Apprenticeship, all have opportunity to mitigate the costs of higher education and provide additional context to their studies with meaningful employment, providing value to employers with two years of practical Information Technology work experience serving Lawrence County Schools.
