- Caitlyn Johnson, Apprenticeship Pathway: CNA to Pre-Nursing

CAITLYN JOHNSON, a CNA/Pre-Nursing Youth Apprentice employed by Trident Medical Center, has always loved helping people. When she heard about the Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship program from a teacher at Cane Bay High School, she knew it was an opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming a medical professional. When asked what she enjoys most about her experience, she replied, “Making patients smile and laugh—and making their families laugh, too. There’s nothing better than watching patients leave the hospital healthy and well. And they give you hugs!” Caitlyn admits that the Certified Nursing Assistant and Patient Care Technician training “was a lot to take in,” but she added, “It was fun, I loved my instructors, and clinicals were awesome!” During her first year in the program, Caitlyn was selected as MUSC's 2018 Youth Volunteer of the Year and she plans to continue her education in the nursing program at TTC. Caitlyn (right) is shown here with Trident Medical Center nurse Shauna Scott.

- Byrone Porcher, Apprenticeship Pathway: Culinary Arts

BYRONE PORCHER, a 2017 graduate of Wando High School and the Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship Program, is a Line Chef with Wild Dunes Resort on IOP, where he spent his two-year apprenticeship. Wild Dunes is a Destination Hotels property, and Destination Hotels is the fourth largest independent hospitality management company in the country. Byrone has worked in virtually every Wild Dunes restaurant, has been trained in catering large-scale events, and is being considered for a position to run the resort’s summer seasonal dining option. In 2018, Byrone was part of a showcase of select programs from around the country durng an event on Capitol Hill arranged by the National Skills Coalition.

- Joshua Carpenter, Apprenticeship Pathway: PLTW Engineering Technician

JOSHUA CARPENTER is a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering Assistant youth apprentice at Boeing. He is a 2019 graduate of Stratford High School and is completing an associate degree and a certificate at Trident Technical College while finishing the second year of his youth apprenticeship in the Engineering Technician track. At Boeing, Joshua is supporting 777X Horizontal Build Line Wing Assembly NC Programming. This work involves creating and modifying programs using Delmia V5, Catia V5 and CENIT Fastip software suites using available Software Utilities, VB Macros and local peer review processes. Once he has completed the two-year youth apprenticeship, Joshua plans to pursue a four-year degree in Engineering.

- Marquel Rolack-Smalls, Apprenticeship Pathway: Machine Tool Technology

MARQUEL ROLACK-SMALLS, pictured on right with his industry mentor, is currently a student at Clemson University studying mechanical engineering. Marquel was a member of the first cohort of machine tool technology youth apprentices in the Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship Program. Hired by Venture Aerobearings, a world-class aerospace bearings manufacturer, Marquel began his apprenticeship in the fall of 2015 as a rising senior at Woodland High School in Dorchester District Four. Always a good student, Marquel came into his own intellectually, academically, personally and professionally over the course of the two-year apprenticeship. Consistently challenged, encouraged and inspired both on the job at Venture and in the classroom at Trident Technical College, Marquel grew into a "rock star" of the brand-new machining program. With Marquel's acceptance into Clemson at the end of his senior year, he was faced with a difficult choice: to enter the University or stay and finish the second year of the apprenticeship. Marquel made the decision to defer his entrance into Clemson and stay with Venture and at TTC. After Marquel completed the apprenticeship and earned his associate degree from TTC, Clemson again accepted him and Venture Aerobearings helped with tuition, even outfitting his dorm room with everything he needed. He returns to work at Venture during school breaks and in the summer, and has moved from Bearing Technician to Engineering Intern. Looking ahead, Marquel has his sights set on a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada, a school he visited during what he considers one of his favorite robotics competitions.

- Nathan Farmer, Apprenticeship Pathway: Cybersecurity

NATHAN FARMER spent two years as a youth apprentice in Cybersecurity at SC State Ports Authority in Charleston. Nathan was hired by SC State Ports in 2016 after he applied to the Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship Program as a rising high school junior. During his two-year apprenticeship, he worked with his on-the-job mentor learning how to set up servers to assess security posture for computers, as well as how to monitor network activity for suspicious behavior. While he engaged in hands-on training at work, he also took college classes at TTC in a curriculum designed to provide expertise in information assurance and cybersecurity, gaining the knowledge and skills to develop and implement security of systems and infrastructure in business and industry. In 2018, Nathan graduated from high school and from the youth apprenticeship program having earned his Associate in Applied Science in Network Systems Management from Trident Technical College, along with TTC certificates in Cybersecurity, CompTIA Systems Specialist, and Network Security. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Science: Cyber and Network Security at ECPI with plans to become a Certified Ethical Hacker.