Michelin names Youth Apprenticeship Program students

Michelin recognized this year’s class of Youth Apprenticeship Program students at a “signing day event” hosted at Anderson’s Bleckley Inn on Sept. 11.

Apprenticeship participants are high school students who have accepted part-time positions at Michelin’s rubber mixing facility in Starr, in partnership with Anderson County schools, according to a news release. The apprenticeship program, certified by the U.S. Labor Department last year, includes a minimum of 1,000 paid hours of hands-on job training with a Michelin mentor.

“The Youth Apprenticeship Program was developed to augment our hiring pool, while affording the opportunity for young adults to experience the positive aspects of manufacturing and the family atmosphere of Michelin,” Steve Miles, plant manager of Michelin’s Starr location, said in the release. “Today is another shining example of Michelin’s commitment to the Anderson community, Michelin Challenge Education and our mission to create a better way forward for the next generation.”

Michelin also offers a Tech Scholar program with local technical colleges that covers tuition, fees and books for students interested in pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing, according to the release. Qualified graduates of the program earn jobs at Michelin with salaries comparable to graduates with four-years degrees.

This year’s Youth Apprenticeship Program participants include:

• Charles Isaac Hilley, Crescent High School 
• Dylan Chase Powell, Crescent High School
• Angel Nicole Mabry, Palmetto High School
• Eric Joseph Astfalk Jr., Palmetto High School
• Jaheim De'Shone Bell, T.L. Hanna High School
• Rhett Wilson Tucker, T.L. Hanna High School
• Diamond Gantt, T.L. Hanna High School
• Braydan M. King, Westside High School
• Isac William Blackstone, Wren High School