On Friday, Nov. 11, Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Assistant Deputy Secretary Dave Anderson visited Aspirus Wausau Hospital (AWH) to highlight DWDs Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program. The visit was part of Governor Walker’s Cabinet on the Road Series.

The visit included a meet and greet with the students, their advisors, hospital leaders and a tour of AWH. Established in 1991, Wisconsin’s YA program provides high school students with hands-on work experience at a local business along with related classroom instruction. Aspirus currently employs four youth apprentices from the Wausau East, Mosinee, D.C. Everest and Wittenberg-Birnamwood School Districts.

The Youth Apprenticeship program is a rigorous one- or two-year elective statewide program that combines academic and technical instruction with mentored, paid, on-the-job learning that makes a real world connection for students.

Youth Apprentices work a minimum of 450 hours at their YA worksite each year of their program and take related high school or college classes to enhance their worksite experiences. High school juniors and seniors from participating north central Wisconsin School-to-Career Partnership schools are eligible to participate.

Earlier this year, Governor Walker announced statewide YA grants totaling $3.2 million that were awarded to 32 consortiums across Wisconsin for the 2016-2017 school year. This grant is in addition to an earlier $1 million investment in the program.