by Dolores Quesenberry, ApprenticeshipNC Communications Director

WAKE FOREST — Officials with ApprenticeshipNC and members of the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP) consortia gathered for a graduation ceremony at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Monday, Aug. 16, to celebrate the graduation of five apprentices from various Triangle companies and to sign 13 more apprentices into registered programs through the NCTAP consortia.

Jan Kuehne, chairman of NCTAP, opened the ceremony by recognizing the graduates and their families before introducing guest speakers, Mayor Pro-Tem and Commissioner of the City of Wake Forest Liz Simpers and ApprenticeshipNC Vice President of Economic Development Dr. Bruce Mack. Both speakers provided words of encouragement for the graduates.

“Complete the circle of success by committing to your goals and celebrating your accomplishments,” Dr.  Mack said. “Challenge yourself to be great by embracing every opportunity as a challenge.”

President of Wake Technical Community College Scott Ralls was the featured guest speaker who wrapped up the ceremonial event by describing five characteristics of success.

“There is a lot of arrogance in this world today,” President Ralls said. “Having confidence but recognizing you still have much to learn is the most important characteristic of success. It may sound contradictory, but remember a confident humility is needed in today’s world.”

The following Class of 2021 graduates were recognized at the NCTAP ceremony:

• Spencer Downing (Accu-Fab)
• Sebastian Huges (CaptiveAire)
• Baylor Chapple (Schmalz)
• Brennan Burns (Schunk Intec Inc.)
• Nathaniel Corl (Superior Tooling Inc.)

The following high school apprentices officially signed with respective companies as the graduating Class of 2025 at the NCTAP ceremony:

• Tremanine Allen and Evan Wells (Anderson Automotive Group)
• William Chapman and Miles Eason (Crossroads Automotive Group)
• Isaac Keen (Morris & Assoc.)
• Matthew Audette, Ethan Hulstedt, Austin Pedersen and Corman Sommer (Schunk Intec, Inc.)
• Madelyn Clark and Ethan Hatch (Siemens)
• Brandon Wesley Gayle and Johnny Hurd (Superior Tooling Inc.)

NCTAP began as a collaboration among businesses in the Triangle area, along with public and private high schools in the Triangle region, Wake Technical Community College and Vance Granville Community College to establish apprenticeship programs for high school students entering the 11th grade. The program aims to bridge both the interest and skill gaps in modern manufacturing and to provide a vehicle for expanding the workforce pool.

Jan Kuehne became chairman of NCTAP in July. He is optimistic about the future of apprenticeship in North Carolina and believes they are critically important to the sustained growth of manufacturing in the USA.

“Today’s youth is more capable than ever,” Kuehne said in a statement after the event. “With the support of programs such as NCTAP, parents, guardians, partner companies and educators, we can find comfort in knowing that these apprentice and apprenticeship graduates are on a pathway to personal success and security. Companies that invest in developing talent will build a stronger community, deeper understanding on how different business functions interact, and promote a future ready culture.”