(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
Thanks to the Finance and Operations Apprenticeship Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, Alex Escobedo is on his way to a career as a licensed carpenter. Escobedo is one of three Facilities Services apprentices — two in Carpentry and one in Life Safety — helping to pilot the program. Participants learn a valuable trade from experienced Carolina staff members while earning a salary and benefits from the University.
In addition to learning on the job, apprentices gain knowledge about their field through part-time studies at local community colleges. Each apprenticeship lasts from two to four years, depending on the skills being learned, and is registered with the state of North Carolina and the U.S. Department of Labor. Once Alex and his peers successfully complete their apprenticeship, they can move into a journey-level position at Carolina.
“When you bring in young people with new ideas and energy, and you train them and teach them, it is the best way to build an expert workforce. To continue to provide top-notch facilities, we must think about our workforce and its health, and that includes bringing in and retaining new talent.”
— Wendy Halsey, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services
The apprenticeship program resulted from a suggestion made at the UNC-Chapel Hill Employee Forum in November 2018 by Facilities Construction Administrator/Project Coordinator Alan Moran, who served an apprenticeship as a carpenter/joiner in his native Ireland more than 30 years ago. A working group comprised of staff from Facilities Services, the Finance and Operations Service Center of Excellence (SCE) and the Office of Human Resources was established in 2020 to explore best practices for apprenticeship programs and identify potential skilled trades opportunities within Facilities. In 2023, Layna Johnson joined the SCE’s Continuous Improvement, Staff Development and Engagement office in the role of apprenticeship program coordinator. As momentum grew, the program was opened to all Finance and Operations departments. Under Johnson’s leadership the program officially launched this fall.
To support the academic component of the program, Johnson partners with local community colleges and Apprenticeship NC, a unit of the North Carolina Community College System that assists with Department of Labor approval. She is committed to ensuring that the apprentices attain the same competencies as their Finance and Operations colleagues.
“From day one, we talk to our apprentices about helping them get their certificate (in their trade) or their associate’s degree but also their journeyworker’s card, the credential that is important out in the real world,” said Johnson.
Each apprentice is guided by a mentor who tailors daily work assignments to ensure that the program participants can grow their skills. The apprentices go out on calls and perform needed jobs around the University. Carpentry supervisor Bob Mazurek has set up the shop like a lab so that the two current carpentry apprentices can practice their skills. Mazurek encourages his apprentices to turn to their more experienced colleagues for help in the hands-on work or with their community college classwork.
“We want our apprentices to succeed, especially since our goal is to keep these people as our employees,” said Johnson. “Growing our own workforce is going to be paramount to the survival of the trades. Our aging workforce is a reality and one of the best ways to fill vacancies is from within our organization.”
Wendy Halsey, associate vice chancellor for Facilities Services, agrees. “Skilled tradespeople are at a premium these days,” she said. “When you bring in young people with new ideas and energy, and you train them and teach them, it is the best way to build an expert workforce. To continue to provide top-notch facilities, we must think about our workforce and its health, and that includes bringing in and retaining new talent.”
In the near term, Halsey hopes to expand the program into more trades within Facilities Services and to work with the local community colleges to develop the employee pipeline outside of the program. She looks forward to having graduates of the program working in her department as full-time employees and serving as mentors to new apprentices.
“Apprenticeships work well when folks can pay forward their training as we bring on new apprentices,” she said.
Escobedo is a fan of the program. “For me, this apprenticeship is life changing,” he said. With new sites and new jobs every day, he is enjoying learning carpentry and working with his hands. “As someone new and young, what stands out to me is how welcoming and helpful everybody is,” said Escobedo. “This job opens so many opportunities to me.”