Patricia Robinson, CEO of Evolve Training and Development and founder of Evolve Youth Trades Academy, said on a recent episode of the Higher Education Access Corner that the academy offers summer and after-school trades programs for students ages 12–18 and is a state-certified pre-apprenticeship provider.

Robinson said the academy gives middle- and high-school students hands-on exposure to carpentry, plumbing and electrical work, plus soft-skills and entrepreneurship training that she said help students move into formal trade schools, union apprenticeships or the workforce. “Trades is not the last option but the first opportunity,” Robinson said.

The academy began as a four-week summer pilot with 10 students and an even gender split, Robinson told host Tiffany DeVan. Since then, she said, the program has expanded its summer session to six weeks and added after-school offerings and partnerships with local schools. Robinson said Evolve has served students from Central Dauphin School District, Steelton-Highspire, Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) and Harrisburg High; students from CCA attend Evolve for trades while continuing their academics at home.

Robinson said Evolve is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Labor & Industry as a pre-apprenticeship program. She said credits earned at Evolve can transfer to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and can help students with testing for union or nonunion trade jobs. Robinson also named Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) as a placement partner for graduates moving into electrical apprenticeships.

Robinson described an “earn-and-learn” path for older students who enter formal apprenticeships: classroom training combined with paid on-the-job work over several years, with periodic raises as experience accrues. She gave one example of a former student who earned an apprenticeship with IEC, now owns a work van and returns to volunteer and speak to current students.

The academy runs a dedicated women-in-trades program that includes both short-format “three days, three trades” sessions and multi-month curricula for adults changing careers; Robinson said one 30-year-old graduate joined the Plumbers and Pipefitters union. Robinson said the program aims to diversify trades fields she described as having “very low” female participation.

Robinson said Evolve awards two annual scholarships, open to students pursuing academic or trade education; applicants may submit either a 500- to 700-word essay or a five- to seven-minute video. She said scholarship awards are $500 for academic applicants and $500 for trade applicants. For schools or families seeking partnership or enrollment information, Robinson gave the academy website as www.evolvetrades.org and a contact phone number of (717) 608-2315.

Robinson said Evolve is developing a curriculum to serve young adults aged roughly 18–35 who have aged out of the youth program but still seek entry to trades careers. She urged school counselors, administrators and parents to include trade and other postsecondary pathways, not only four-year degrees, in career counseling and planning.

DeVan moderated the conversation and asked about program mechanics, funding and student outcomes; direct quotes and program details reported here come from Robinson’s interview on the Higher Education Access Corner podcast.