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Randolph County schools outline workforce roadmap to expand internships, pre-apprenticeships
Summary
District staff outlined a multi-year plan to expand career and technical education for grades 5–12, emphasizing internships (120 hours for credit), partnerships with Apprenticeship Randolph and Randolph Community College, and three career academies at Water Ridge that will begin busing students this fall.
Randolph County School System staff on the district’s work-session described a multi-year workforce roadmap to expand career pathways and place juniors and seniors in work-based learning.
The presentation, led in the work session by a member of the district’s Career and Technical (CT) staff, said the system will recruit industry and community partners beginning this summer to offer internships and pre-apprenticeships across the district’s 26 pathways. "Students can receive a high school credit with us. They have to do a hundred and 20 hours of on-the-job site training," the presenter said, and partners may choose whether to pay participating students.
District leaders said the plan centers on five pillars for 11th- and 12th‑grade students: internships and pre-apprenticeships; growth within local hiring pipelines; strengthening career academies and certificates; alignment with Randolph Community College (RCC) for postsecondary certificates and dual enrollment; and marketing the pathways to families so students can plan from middle school onward.
The presenter noted specific elements already in place or planned: high school-tours beginning in fifth grade; career development plans for grades 6–12; peer development coordinators and school-based staff who guide students; and three Water Ridge career academies focused on plumbing, collision repair and photography. The district intends to begin bussing students to Water Ridge in the fall and expand academies if enrollment supports additional pathways.
Apprenticeship Randolph was highlighted as a partner for manufacturing pathways. The presenter said Apprenticeship Randolph has operated for nine years, produces cohorts in heavy manufacturing (machinists, mechatronics and some IT), has national recognition, and is expected to place about 16–18 students after current cohort placements settle. The organization is preparing a strategic‑plan rewrite this summer to consider onboarding additional pathways.
District staff said the system already pays for many supplies and fees that allow students to earn postsecondary certificates with reduced out‑of‑pocket cost. Staff described examples such as teacher‑prep internships that would let students work in local schools for credit, and pathway-aligned internships at businesses across sectors (manufacturing, health sciences, public safety, finance, utilities and insurance).
During public comment, a resident with emergency-services experience urged the district to integrate fire‑service certification opportunities into the roadmap. The resident noted state allowance for 15‑year‑olds to begin certain certifications and described local fire departments’ recruitment needs; district staff replied the roadmap’s “relationship connector” would seek local public‑safety partners willing to host students for the required 120 hours and to consider sponsorships that accelerate certification pathways.
District speakers framed the effort as a long-term recruitment and retention strategy: “We want people to live here, go to school here, get trained, come back, and take these wonderful job opportunities that are starting to really take shape in Randolph County,” the presenter said, describing an intent to grow “homegrown” teachers, machinists and technicians who remain in the county.
Staff said they will manage the internships pillar centrally, coordinate with school leaders and the chamber of commerce to recruit businesses, and produce marketing materials that show families the sequence of courses and credentials a student should take to reach targeted careers.
The district did not present an overall cost estimate, specific employer commitments, or a firm target number of internship seats for the coming school year; staff characterized the initial rollout as “starting small” and said they hope to scale to “hundreds of internship placements” over multiple years.
District staff asked the board for feedback and indicated outreach and recruitment work would begin over the summer.
Looking ahead, staff said they will continue coordinating with RCC, Apprenticeship Randolph and local employers to refine pathways and credential offerings. No formal action or vote was taken in the work session on the roadmap.
