Charleston-area companies sign on dozens of local teens as paid apprentices

At 71 participants, this year’s Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship cohort is the largest yet, said Melissa Stowasser, the assistant vice president of community partnerships at Trident Technical College. The program, which pairs high school students in the tri-county area with employers for two years of on-the-job experience, has been growing every year since it launched in 2014, both in the number of apprentices and partner companies.