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YCAL Pre-Apprenticeship Program prepares students from across the county to enter the workforce after high school.
Spring 2024 YCAL building trades class group picture. (Photo Submitted)
Spring 2024 YCAL building trades class group picture. (Photo Submitted)
Instructor (Nick Sabold) giving directions to student (Ryan Bealer) to cut flooring for his workshop. (Photo Submitted)

Senior Ryan Bealer adjusts his safety glasses as he measures the wood for his work station. This isn’t a normal day in the classroom, but it is helping many students prepare for their futures.

In 2017-2018, YCAL launched their first Pre-Apprenticeship Program in partnership with Kinsley Education Center, focusing on construction.

Then in the next two years YCAL added two additional pre-apprenticeship programs in manufacturing and electrical. They are continuing to find more job opportunities for students while addressing the needs of the local workforce.

“The York Builders Association Workforce NOW Foundation has partnered with YCAL to provide pre-apprenticeships for three years,” Executive Director of Workforce NOW Melissa Longenberger said.

This program will help students get a head start if they want a construction job after high school: while also letting students explore different types of construction jobs.

“I plan on committing to the trades industry and becoming an apprentice for a household name contractor such as Kinsley Construction,” Bealer stated.

Dallastowns Career, College, and Transition Coordinator and also a York Builders Association (YBA) member Kellin McCullough encourages students to apply for this program.

“We had twenty Dallastown students apply out of the three pre-apprenticeships program, nine of them applied for construction and five were accepted,” explained Mrs. McCullough.

During the Construction program students will have to complete a 10 hour online OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) course. This gives information about safety and health risks on the job.

Then students will start doing hands-on work, starting by building the frame of the students’ workshops. Then in the workshop students will learn to do plumbing, electrical, masonry, HVAC, dry wall, and tile work.

“I am most excited to do HVAC and masonary in the YCAL program due to interest in those fields,” Bealer said.

With the help of the instructors Nick Sabold and Joe Miller, students from York county are able to discover what they like to do in Construction. Workforce Now has companies who come and teach students all the different construction jobs.

YCAL students working inside their workshops during plumbing day. (Photo Submitted)

“Directly involved there are up to 10 companies that work with the YCAL program,” said Longenberger.

There are three pre-apprenticeship programs; manufacturing (Manufacturers Association), electrical (York Electrical Institute), and building trades (Workforce NOW YBA).

At the end of the program parents and students will come back later in the day and they will look at their final project.

“This program is a lot of fun. Every time I get a chance to attend it, we’re always doing something different, and everyone is working together,” Bealer said.

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