The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Employment Center currently has the largest Registered Apprenticeship program in the state, recently surpassing CVS. The programs encompass dozens of occupations, with human resources, logistics, and security the most popular. Only active duty reservists and those currently transitioning out of military service are eligible. Approximately 300-400 people a year pass through the programs.

“Every branch of the military assigns occupation codes to each role,” says Eric Burgos, program director for the NC National Guard Employment Center. “While they are called by different names, these MOS codes align with civilian occupations. That makes it easy to match skill sets and help guide active reservists or service members transitioning out of the military into civilian careers where they have experience and will succeed.”

Burgos adds that many military personnel have received training and met the time requirements while on active duty. This allows them to earn a journeyworker’s certificate without starting from scratch. “Service members have a better opportunity to move into a civilian career at an equivalent or higher level having earned that certificate. I’ll give you one example: we had an employee begin working for a trucking company. When he mentioned he had his journeyman’s certificate, he immediately got an $8+/hour raise!”

“We encourage personnel to learn about apprenticeship and enroll as soon as they are eligible,” adds Burgos. “It doesn’t cost a dime and can position them for success in their civilian career. It’s a win for veterans and for businesses.”