While many teenagers spend their high school years figuring out their college plans, Emilee Och had her sights set on a different path. Thanks to the School to Apprenticeship Program, Och was well on her way to becoming a union welder by the time she graduated.
The program, also known as an apprentice readiness program (ARP), provides high school seniors with a head start on careers in the trades. Och was introduced to the program by Eugene Frazier, a training coordinator from the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) workers Local 24. She became a pre-apprentice at just 16 and a first-year apprentice during her senior year.
This summer, Och’s hard work paid off when she graduated from the apprentice program in Dayton, Ohio. The 22-year-old received the Eugene Frazier II Award for being the highest achieving apprentice, as well as an award for perfect attendance. She is the first woman to receive these honors.
Och credits the program with giving her a sense of responsibility and commitment. “I knew I wanted to go union, for sure, but what I really liked is I could join right then and there and go to school at the same time,” she said. Despite the nearly 90-minute drive from her home in Lima, Ohio, Och was dedicated to achieving perfect attendance.
The School to Apprenticeship Program allows students to balance their education with work experience. They attend school for two weeks, then work in the field for two weeks while taking apprenticeship courses in the evenings. This schedule helps ease students into adulthood and jumpstarts their careers.
“It’s not full time. We have a much better retention with the School to Apprenticeship Program students than with any other program,” said Tony Stephens, training coordinator for Local 24. “We will retain 80%, if not more, in comparison to the 50% of apprentices we bring in by traditional means.”
Och’s experience in the program has prepared her for a successful career in the trades. She has gone from tinkering in her father’s garage as a child to working in a sheet metal shop at Smith-Boughan Mechanical in Lima. Her next goal is to become a foreperson.
“[The program] makes you feel more comfortable, helps you get the basics down so you know what you’re getting into,” Och said. “It gives you a sense of responsibility. You have to be to work on time. You have to be prepared. It gives you a sense of commitment. I definitely think it was a good path for me, for sure.”