Raymond's Youth Apprenticeship Program graduates

The Raymond Corporation has celebrated six graduates from its Youth Apprenticeship Program from Greene, Chenango Valley and Maine-Endwell central school districts in New York.

For more than 25 years, the Youth Apprenticeship Program has been an integral part of Raymond's commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, as well as playing a large role in building the workforce of the future.

This year's graduates are Ashley Kenyon, Daniel Kovalev, Spencer Klumpp and Liam Reid from Greene Central School; Danielle Edwards from Maine-Endwell Central School District and Eric Brom from Chenango Valley Central School District.

Working with high schools throughout the Southern Tier of New York area, the program provides a hands-on, experiential approach to learning for junior and senior high school students. Students learn more about their areas of interest, as well as being introduced to a variety of other disciplines, which can include engineering, finance and manufacturing.

"One of the biggest challenges the manufacturing industry faces today is attracting and retaining talent, and that includes finding and educating talent to address the widening skills gap," says Heidi Foster, coordinator of the Youth Apprenticeship Program, The Raymond Corporation. "The Youth Apprenticeship Program has a long history of preparing students with the necessary skill sets for successful futures in STEM careers. The program has proved especially valuable in recent years as a way to address industry challenges."

In addition to returning students Nathaniel Erickson and Jarod Likens, Raymond will welcome five new apprentices to the program in September 2019: Nolan Butler, McKenzie Drew, Sara White, Alexandria Brown and Tristan Austin.