Apprenticeship Blue Ridge: Setting the Standard for Registered Apprenticeship Success
Published: March 31, 2025
Apprenticeship Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge Community College’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, is reimagining workforce development in Western North Carolina. Launched in 2019 as a solution to local manufacturing needs, Apprenticeship Blue Ridge began with the “Made in Henderson County” mechatronics engineering pathway. The program has rapidly grown to offer 15 additional pathways across 12 registered occupations—including automotive, business and banking, construction, early childhood education, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, machining, and more. Apprenticeship Blue Ridge’s success is the direct result of strong community partnerships, the utilization of key administrative tools, and a commitment to the creation of lasting careers for its apprentices.
Investing in Partnership and Broadening Career Pathways
Apprenticeship Blue Ridge’s ability to adapt to the needs of local employers has resulted in rapid expansion and a remarkable 90% apprentice retention rate. In the six years since establishing its first Registered Apprenticeship pathway, the program has served 300+ Registered Apprentices. The Registered Apprenticeship’s strength lies in its collaboration with its community. Apprenticeship Blue Ridge has 67 employer partners and works with Henderson County Public Schools and Transylvania County Public Schools to enroll students upon high school graduation.
As the program sponsor for their pathways, Apprenticeship Blue Ridge handles the administrative duties associated with the maintenance of a Registered Apprenticeship Program, ensuring employers’ focus remains on the apprentices’ training. Registered Apprenticeship involves a combination of classroom instruction and paid on-the-job learning. This means Apprenticeship Blue Ridge apprentices are more than students—they are employees. To balance these responsibilities, Apprenticeship Blue Ridge has structured all its pathways to have one day a week dedicated entirely to classroom instruction at Blue Ridge Community College. For the rest of the week, apprentices work under the guidance of experienced industry professionals, earning wages that increase as their skill sets grow. This structure provides apprentices with financial stability throughout their Registered Apprenticeship Programs while incentivizing both the apprentice and employer to invest in long-term success.
A Strong Support System and Effective Tools for Success
What truly sets Apprenticeship Blue Ridge apart from other Registered Apprenticeship Programs is its commitment to ensuring both apprentices and employers succeed. Apprenticeship Blue Ridge uses a timeclock system that allows the college to track the apprentices’ hours in the classroom. The system provides an efficient, transparent way to monitor apprentices’ progress and ensure they meet program requirements as instructors send weekly course updates to mentors and supervisors on the job site. Essentially, the tool simplifies the administrative paperwork between employers and Blue Ridge Community College. Apprenticeship Blue Ridge has also established a strong support system for its apprentices, including two levels of financial literacy courses, one-on-one mentorship, and bi-annual evaluations. These steps help the program ensure apprentices not only complete their training but are ready to handle the responsibilities that come with being a working professional.
Statewide and National Recognition
In 2022, Apprenticeship Blue Ridge received the Outstanding Pre-Apprenticeship Award from ApprenticeshipNC—the State Apprenticeship Agency. In 2025, the program became a finalist for the Bellwether Award in the Instructional Programs and Services category—a national recognition highlighting innovative community college programs that deliver exceptional outcomes. This nomination and its previous award underscores Apprenticeship Blue Ridge’s innovative approach to Registered Apprenticeship, its ability to meet the evolving needs of its community, and its success in fostering long-term partnerships and careers for its apprentices.
Planning for the Future
As Apprenticeship Blue Ridge continues to expand, the program remains focused on addressing the local skills gap by providing apprentices with paid, on-the-job training and classroom instruction in partnership with local employers. For fellow Registered Apprenticeship sponsors, the Registered Apprenticeship offers a replicable model that exemplifies the value of strong community partnerships, individualized apprentice support, and effective administrative tools.
For more information, visit Blue Ridge Community College’s website.
About ApprenticeshipNC: Recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship to act on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor, ApprenticeshipNC is the State Apprenticeship Agency authorized to register apprenticeship programs tailored to meet employers’ needs— providing structured on-the-job learning, supplemental education, and a progressive wage scale.
