District pilots paid youth apprenticeships at Boston Global to link students with local employers

District and community partners described a paid youth apprenticeship pilot at Boston Global High School that aims to expand work-based learning and career pathways.

Workforce Connect and district leaders briefed the board on a first-year pilot that placed 12 students in paid pre-apprenticeships (10 in construction; 2 in automotive) through partnerships with the Associated General Contractors apprenticeship program and the San Diego Automotive Museum. Presenters said the Previs Foundation provided initial funding for the youth-apprenticeship effort and that students earned both hands-on experience and income while also receiving financial-literacy coaching through a community credit-union partner.

A Boston Global student who participated described practical benefits: "My career goal is to become a general contractor. I feel like the hands-on training that I've gathered from this experience... I'm getting money in my bank account so I can use it for maybe college or parts for my vehicles and also getting taught how to save." Workforce Connect staff said the program's near-term goal is to scale beyond the initial cohort and expand into other sectors (health care, banking/finance) and to develop a community-facing innovation center at Boston Global to host industry partnerships.

Board members praised student readiness and asked staff to return with an expansion plan and details on employer partners and training certifications. Superintendent and district staff framed the pilot as part of a broader career-program strategy to create meaningful postsecondary pathways.