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Stanly Community College and the City of Albemarle gathered recently to mark a significant milestone in their ongoing efforts to establish apprenticeship opportunities for the city’s fire and police departments. This celebration highlights their collaborative commitment to building a solid apprenticeship program that benefits the student community and residents of Albemarle and Stanly County.

The signing event, held at SCC’s Dennis Community Room, brought together key representatives from SCC and the City of Albemarle.

SCC President Dr. John Enamait expressed his enthusiasm for the results of the collective effort to create a robust apprenticeship program over the past few years.

“What we’re celebrating today is the results of our efforts to build a strong apprenticeship program over the last few years,” Enamait said. “It is certainly gaining traction, not only here with the City of Albemarle but across Stanly County. Apprenticeship opportunities demonstrate our strategic plan’s commitment to student and community success and help provide our community with a safe environment to live, work and play.”

Apprentices will receive on-the-job training with the city’s fire department or police department and theoretical and practical training through SCC’s Fire Academy or Basic Law Enforcement Training program, respectively. The result will be credentialed firefighters and police officers for the City of Albemarle.

Dana Chaney, human resources director for Albemarle, reiterated that the introduction of apprenticeships is aligned with the city’s strategic plan. These programs play a role in the recruitment and retention of employees, ensuring the departments have the personnel needed to serve the community effectively.

“The city is proud to partner with SCC and continue to build on an already strong relationship,” Chaney said. “We’ve seen great success in providing City electric staff to serve as instructors for SCC’s line worker training program. We’ve also successfully partnered with SCC to support the City of Albemarle’s Firefighter Academy. The new apprenticeship program allows us to utilize state funding to help recruit and retain great employees, which is a crucial part of the city’s strategic plan. This is only the beginning of our efforts to provide apprenticeship programs for essential city services.”

Albemarle Police Chief Jason Bollhorst sees the apprenticeship program as an opportunity to build relationships with potential members of the Albemarle Police Department.

“Serving in law enforcement is an incredible commitment. This apprenticeship program will allow anyone interested in making law enforcement their career choice to see a strongly defined pathway to their profession,” Bollhorst said. “At the same time, it’s a chance to establish connections with those who can offer valuable coaching and mentorship.”

“The City of Albemarle Fire Department has already benefited from a partnership with SCC for our City of Albemarle Firefighter Academy,” added Pierre Brewton, fire chief. “The new apprenticeship program means we can utilize state funding to support our training efforts and direct resources in the department to support other needs such as additional training and equipment.”

The significance of apprenticeships was further emphasized by Marcus Pryor, SCC’s director of external affairs.

“Through continuous communication and collaborative partnerships, apprenticeships continue to grow,” Pryor said. “Established apprenticeships provide a valuable resource for students, employers and the community. These opportunities create educational pathways, a skilled and trained workforce, and productive community citizens.”
For more information about apprenticeships or to learn more about this program, contact Pryor at mpryor@stanly.edu.