Though politicians are still fond of diminishing West Virginia as only a fossil fuels state, the reality points to an even brighter future for Mountain State workers. According to West Virginia Affiliated Construction Trades Director Justin Williams, apprenticeship programs are growing here.

And yes, some of those workers are in coal mines, but others work in a variety of trades that will literally build our state’s next chapters.

“There are 2,500 apprentices in West Virginia, and we represent about 24,000 construction workers,” Williams told WV MetroNews. “It’s not a huge number but it’s people that get up and go to work every day, and they make a big impact on their communities and state.”

For those hoping to work in the budding aviation, aerospace and even electric vehicle manufacturing industries in our state — or be part of the workforce that helps build those industries — apprenticeship programs can put them in a position to make STARTING wages of $20 to $23 per hour, according to Williams.

“With the investments we’re seeing in these factories, these are 20, 30, 40-year-old or more careers that people coming out of high school now can have,” Williams told MetroNews. “They’ll have a living wage, benefits, and a pension.”

Sounds a little bit like the career prospects our grandparents knew in this region, doesn’t it?

Apprenticeships are classroom and on-the-job training in a system that allows employers to help tailor the training to build the workforce they need. And they don’t incur the debt with which many students may be saddled if they pursue a college degree.

Williams touted apprenticeship programs’ ability to produce electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, iron workers, truck drivers, sheet metal workers and more, who can jump right into good-paying careers.

It’s not for everyone, of course.

“We need the spectrum — the doctors and lawyers — but we also need the construction worker and the manufacturer,” Williams told MetroNews.

Here in a state full of people who can do it all, there is as much room as ever for those who are ready and willing to get to work, now. Whether it be a high school senior staring at May on the calendar without a clear picture of what comes next, or a seasoned worker looking for a change, apprenticeship programs offer an option that will let workers make a difference not only for themselves and their families, but all of West Virginia.