Get Your Career Started: With Work-Based Learning Experiences    

Delaware offers a variety of creative methods to help students and other job seekers boost their career potential by combining classroom instruction with hands-on workplace learning.  

Here is a look at some programs available across the state.  

Apprenticeships  

Apprenticeships serve as a valuable path to gaining new skills and on-site work experience while earning a paycheck at the same time.  

“Apprenticeships are great because they’re earn-as-you-learn programs,” said Joanna Staib, executive director of the Delaware Workforce Development Board. “And there’s no burden of having to repay student-loan debt afterward.”  

Delaware apprentice programs got a big boost this year after Governor Matt Meyer signed Executive Order #1, which opens the door for state agencies to prioritize expansion of workforce development and youth apprenticeship opportunities, especially in state government. 

Overseen by the Delaware Department of Education, the Order establishes a group of advisors from labor, educational and nongovernment sectors. “Together, they will explore ways of creating more career-training options,” said Staib. 

Another avenue of assistance for students is Wilmington University’s STEP PathTM program, which allows those who complete Registered Apprenticeship training to earn up to 42 academic credits toward a college degree, including a B.S. in Applied Business.  

Apprentices are often associated with fields such as construction and the skilled trades, but the state encourages training in additional occupations, too, said Staib. Also note that while some work-based learning programs are specifically tailored towards high school or college students, apprenticeships are open to anyone over the age of 16. The average age of a Registered Apprentice in Delaware is 26, according to the state’s Department of Labor.  

To address a teacher shortage, the Delaware Educator Apprenticeship Program, also affiliated with Wilmington University, helps para educators move into paid positions in schools while gaining their teaching credentials. Apprenticeships are also available in other fields, including restaurants and hospitality, Staib said.  

To match students with healthcare careers, the Sussex County Health Coalition launched the Delaware CHW Apprenticeship Program, creating a paid career pathway with on-the-job training and classroom and online instruction, leading to Community Health Worker credentials.  

Learn more at labor.delaware.gov/divisions/employment-training/apprenticeship-and-training. 

Employer-Driven Workforce Development Programs

M. Davis & Sons, Inc.

“Thanks to a partnership with the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business, we’re taking on a full-time marketing intern this summer for the first time. Then they’ll continue working with us part-time when they’re back at school” said John Gooden, chief operating officer of M. Davis, a family-owned business providing industrial fabrication, construction and maintenance services. (See below for more information about the Lerner Co-op Program.) 

1. Davis also trains students for occupations including plumbers, welders, electricians and millwrights. “We work with the regional high schools, primarily Newcastle County Vo-Tech,” Gooden said. “It’s a helpful way for students to see ‘Is this the career I want?’ and for the employer to get a bit of a test drive with a potential employee.” 

The company also offers a weeklong, half-day Trades Summer Camp, with each morning centered on a specific trade, such as engineering, pipefitting, plumbing, electrical and rigging. Delaware students in grades 9-12 can apply for a camp at the M. Davis fabrication shop in Newark; Pennsylvania students can attend at the M. Davis facility in Kennett Square.  

For information on the M. Davis Summer Camp, visit mdavisinc.com/summercamp 

ALOFT AeroArchitects  

A new learn-while-you-earn program aims to offer mechanically inclined local students an opportunity to enter careers as aviation technicians.  

ALOFT AeroArchitects, based at Delaware Coastal Airport in Georgetown, focuses on aerospace solutions and products for private and commercial aviation. The company has established a new in-house training center dubbed the ALOFT Academy. Modeled after a trade school, it blends technical education with paid, hands-on training. 

“We want to demystify how aircraft mechanics works, and let people know you don’t need an aviation background to get started,” said Jewel Altimus, who chairs the ALOFT Academy. “We target individuals with interest or experience in things like construction, auto mechanics, auto body work — all these skills, and others, are applicable in terms of aviation.” 

The curriculum focuses on three areas of Aloft AeroArchitects’ services: structures, avionics and interiors. “In the initial, 16-week structures class, students spend half their time in class, and half doing hands-on practical work,” said Altimus. 

Students join ALOFT as full-time employees, and graduate from classes six months later as full-time mechanics. In return for a two-year ALOFT employment commitment, they also receive a specialized, fully outfitted aviation mechanic’s toolbox. 

Learn more at aloftaeroarchitects.com/aloft-academy. 

The Delaware Office of Work-Based Learning 

Created by Delaware Technical Community College, the Delaware Office of Work-Based Learning (DOWBL) acts as a statewide coordinating service that partners with companies, schools and community-based groups to enhance student opportunities for future workplace success.  

The DOWBL, based at the Terry Campus in Dover, helps students foster both so-called soft skills like interpersonal communication and conflict resolution, and hard skills such as prepping for job interviews and performing industry-specific tasks. The Office supports the goals of the Delaware Pathways curriculum — a state-led initiative of more than 25 programs that encourages career-building by coupling academic and technical-skill opportunities for students, especially those in high school. 

For information, go to dowbl.org/about.  

University-based Co-ops 

At Wilmington University (WilmU), students can incorporate work-integrated learning —such as internships and co-ops — into their programs of study. These are often multi-semester, structured experiences that combine classroom-based education with hands-on work through WilmU’s network of more than 400 corporate partners. Students typically participate in co-ops for about 10 hours per week, earning three credits per semester and six credits total over the course of their programs. Co-op experiences are embedded into many undergraduate programs at WilmU, including accounting, behavioral science, criminal justice, cybersecurity, finance, health sciences, marketing, psychology and more.  

For more information about the variety of work-integrated learning options offered by Wilmington University, see wilmu.edu/internships. 

Students at the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business and Economics also have a new path to combine academic learning and valuable on-the-job experience. 

The Lerner Co-op Program was launched in partnership with a grant from the Delaware Workforce Development Board. Aimed at rising juniors and seniors enrolled in Lerner College, it allows them to earn three to six credits toward their degree while taking part in yearlong paid internships and co-op opportunities with companies in the state of Delaware. 

The program has already succeeded in meeting its pilot year goal and provided almost 25 co-op positions, with plans for expansion. Typically, students would join an employer full-time during the summer, with part-time on-site job training continuing through the school semester. Co-ops usually start in June and focus on all roles in business, including finance, marketing, accounting, operations, analytics, hospitality, business development and more. 

Along with M. Davis & Sons, businesses including WSFS Bank, CSC, The Siegfried Group, REACH Riverside, DuPont, Delaware Food Bank and Diamond Technologies have already joined the initiative and hired students. 

To learn more, email Program Coordinator Brandon White at brawhite@udel.edu. 

Want to know more about work-based learning opportunities? WilmU’s Office of Work-Integrated Learning offers an explainer of various types of programs and a search for placements with the Handshake app. Learn more at wilmu.edu/internships/index.aspx 

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Author: Guest Writer