North Carolina Celebrates 10th Annual National Apprenticeship Week with 40+ Events Across the State: An ApprenticeshipNC Recap of NAW 2024
North Carolina—Nov 28, 2024 —Registered Apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and community partners celebrated the 10th Annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) November 17-23, 2024, with 40+ events and over a dozen proclamations across North Carolina. This year’s theme – 10 Years of Engagement, Expansion, and Innovation – recognized the impact Registered Apprenticeship has had and continues to have on jobseekers, employers, and the communities they serve.
NAW is a nationwide celebration where Registered Apprenticeship employers and sponsors host events showcasing the value of Registered Apprenticeship as a training and workforce development tool. This year’s NAW highlighted the importance of Youth Apprenticeship, Registered Apprenticeship in New and Emerging Industries and Around the Globe, Expanding Registered Apprenticeship to Underserved Populations, Women in Apprenticeship, and Federal Apprenticeship and Veterans in Apprenticeship.
In celebration of NAW, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed Apprenticeship Week November 17-23, 2024. In his proclamation, Cooper noted Registered Apprenticeships are “a proven pathway for training individuals in high growth, high-demand fields that offer family sustaining wages, while also strengthening North Carolina’s economy and workforce resilience” and “a growing number of individuals, particularly high school and community college students, are turning to Registered Apprenticeships to help them start their chosen careers.”
During the 2023-2024 state fiscal year, ApprenticeshipNC, the State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) housed under the North Carolina Community College System, served 15,090 individuals and 1,698 employers. ApprenticeshipNC staff attended NAW events throughout the week in support of their programs. Listed below are a few highlights from the week…
- WBRM Interview: ApprenticeshipNC Consultant Charles Milling and McDowell Technical Community College discuss the value of Registered Apprenticeship.
- IT Apprenticeship Launch featured in the Stokes News: ApprenticeshipNC staff and local employers celebrated the launch of the new IT Registered Apprenticeship Program partnership between West Stokes High School and Forsyth Technical Community College.
- Cape Fear Community College WECT News 6 Spotlight: Cape Fear Community College held job fairs for careers in high-demand fields throughout NAW.
- Watson Electrical Company Social Media Campaign: Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC posted Registered Apprentice spotlights throughout the week celebrating their talented apprentices and sharing information on their Registered Apprenticeship Program.
- Apprenticeship Cleveland Celebrates Graduates and New Apprentices: Nine Registered Apprentices graduated and 37 signed their apprenticeship agreements.
Be sure to save the date for #NationalApprenticeshipDay2025! The U.S. Department of Labor will be transitioning NAW to the spring as of 2026. To help with the transition, there will be a single #NationalApprenticeshipDay in 2025 on April 30. Week-long celebrations will resume April 26-May 2, 2026.
View photos from National Apprenticeship Week 2024 events here. Don’t see photos from your event? Email them to ApprenticeshipNC Communications Assistant Margaret Spainhour at spainhourm@nccommunitycolleges.edu!
Read Governor Cooper’s Apprenticeship Week proclamation here.
Read the wrap-up blog from Office of Apprenticeship Administrator John Ladd here.
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.
