Henrico County Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education program was highlighted on May 1 when its director, Mac Beaton, participated in a workforce development event hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. The roundtable took place during National Apprenticeship Week and included contributions from a former student and a local industry leader.
The event aimed to explore how K-12 education can better prepare students for skilled trades and address workforce needs. Beaton was joined by Skye Allan, a recent graduate of the Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs High School, and Jeff Lewis, vice president of Technical Workforce Development for VSC Fire Security. They discussed their collaborative work on the Western Henrico Adult Education Complex project at Regency Square Mall.
Beaton said, “The roundtable discussion started out wanting to know a little about how our kids were doing commercial construction, because that’s pretty much unheard of in a school division. And how did we convince everybody that we could do it?” He added that many commercial trades industries are hesitant to employ apprentices under 18 due to liability concerns but found ways for students to gain hands-on experience through school projects.
Lewis described how his company partnered with Henrico’s CTE program as a pilot initiative now being replicated in other states: “They are using us as their pilot ground and then taking it to other states trying to do the same things to create this pathway for kids to come into the industry.” Allan shared her motivation for entering the trades and explained that her apprenticeship experience helped her visualize her future career: “She said where she started has now helped her visualize her career later,” Beaton said.
Beaton noted lawmakers attended the session and have since reached out regarding barriers preventing students from pursuing apprenticeships. He said, “The goal was that other school divisions take what we’ve done and figure out how to duplicate it… And now they’re looking at the Department of Labor saying what can they do to remove some of those hurdles. I truly believe it’s more of a mindset shift.”
According to the official website, Henrico County Public Schools extended educational services across Henrico County, Virginia. The district has received recognition for teaching excellence with educators earning REB Awards for classroom performance according to its website. Dedicated staff focus on delivering positive learning experiences as noted by Henrico Schools. Amy Cashwell serves as superintendent according to district information, while adopting “The right to achieve. The support to succeed” as its motto per its official site. Services are provided throughout Henrico County adjacent to Richmond as indicated online.
HCPS’ CTE Signing Day ceremony has become widely recognized after being featured by Mike Rowe from “Dirty Jobs,” spreading across most states and Canada. During National Apprenticeship Week celebrations this year, similar signing ceremonies were held by the U.S. Department of Labor.
