Jeb Dickerson, director of apprenticeships and work based learning, speaks during a celebration for students completing the Apprenticeship Readiness class on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at Mountwest Community & Technical College in Huntington.
Jeb Dickerson, director of apprenticeships and work based learning, speaks during a celebration for students completing the Apprenticeship Readiness class on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at Mountwest Community & Technical College in Huntington.
Mountwest Community & Technical College celebrated the completion of its first apprenticeship readiness program this week as it graduated its first cohort of students. Additional sessions of the course are planned for later this year in Mason and Wayne counties.
ƵThe apprenticeship readiness program was something that the local labor unions came to us about,Ƶ Jeb Dickerson, director of apprenticeships and work-based learning at MCTC, told The Herald-Dispatch reporter Katelyn Aluise. The unions found applicants were lacking in the math and reading skills required by the construction industry, he said. Applicants also were having trouble with the OSHA 30 test, which is intended for supervisors or for workers with some safety responsibility beyond those expected of entry-level applicants.
The course began Jan. 6 and was hosted two nights a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for three hours at CJ Hughes Construction in Huntington. It concluded March 12, with students earning their CPR and first aid cards, OSHA 30 certificates, and having completed forklift and basic construction training, including hand and power tools, blueprint reading and construction math.
The program is open to anyone over 18, with no additional requirements. Startup for the program was supported through a $500,000 Gable Grant from LoweƵs, and the program is partnered with the store near South Point, Ohio.
Students who completed the course also earned seven hours of credits at Mountwest, which they can put toward a two-year degree.
Mountwest offers the Credit for Prior Learning program in which students who have career experience can bring in their apprenticeship certification and on-the-job training letter. After completing five Mountwest general education courses, they can be awarded a two-year degree based on their experience.
One thing holding back the West Virginia economy is lack of career skills among the working-age population. A high school diploma sometimes just isnƵt enough for a person to enter the skilled construction trades.
Dickerson said apprenticeships are important for promoting trades, and local unions have expressed to him theyƵre in need of workers. He said preparing new apprentices through the readiness course can help workers Ƶbe ready to hit the ground running.Ƶ
He said the course is capped at 20 students due to materials, but he hopes to grow enrollment. He said the course serves students from Cabell, Wayne and Mason counties, and he intends the next cohort to be hosted in Mason County in partnership with the Adult Education program at the Mason County Career Center in Point Pleasant.
Dickerson said he is also partnering with Spring Valley High School in Wayne County, where he hopes to host an adult course in the evenings at the Career and Technical Education Center in the fall.
Thus, programs such as the one at MCTC help fill a need in job skills.
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