How Wayne Brothers Is Shaping the Next Generation of Skilled Workers
Apprenticeships play a vital role in workforce development by combining hands-on experience with structured learning to help individuals build practical, employer-driven skills. This model is especially important in the skilled trades, where mastery depends on real-world application, mentorship, and gradual skill progression rather than classroom instruction alone. As industries continue to face widening skill gaps, apprenticeships provide a proven pathway for developing a highly skilled, job-ready workforce while sustaining essential trades for future generations. Expanding apprenticeship access to pre-apprenticeship opportunities for high school students can strengthen this pipeline even further by introducing young people to career pathways earlier, building foundational skills and confidence, and helping employers cultivate the next generation of skilled workers.
In North Carolina, ApprenticeshipNC defines a pre-apprenticeship as a structured training program designed to serve as a bridge to a Registered Apprenticeship Program. These programs combine hands-on experience, classroom instruction, and industry-recognized credentials to prepare participants for entry into a registered apprenticeship and long-term career success. Pre-apprenticeships are commonly offered through high schools, community colleges, workforce development boards, and employer partnerships, with students able to begin participating as early as age 16. Students who complete a qualifying pre-apprenticeship or registered apprenticeship while in high school may also qualify for North Carolina’s Youth Apprenticeship Tuition Waiver, allowing them to receive tuition-free community college coursework related to their apprenticeship after graduation.
Locally, in Cabarrus County, Wayne Brothers demonstrates the impact these programs can have on both students and industry. Since launching its pre-apprenticeship program in 2018, the company has graduated more than 80 participants, primarily high school seniors from Kannapolis City Schools and Cabarrus County Schools. The current cohort includes seven students participating in 18 weeks of hands-on instruction, while an additional summer cohort will provide 15 more students with direct work-based learning opportunities. These experiences help students develop both technical and durable skills that prepare them for successful entry into the workforce.
As a specialty contractor delivering large-scale civil, concrete, geostructural, and industrial construction projects across the Southeast, Wayne Brothers has tailored its apprenticeship programs to meet critical workforce needs in areas such as heavy equipment operation, form carpentry, millwright-rigging, welding, and project management. The company’s apprenticeship programs range from two to five years in length, with 114 NC apprentices having graduated since inception, with 56 participants currently enrolled.
“We take great pride in creating the pre-apprenticeship program and in our long-standing support of the apprenticeship program. Both are critical to providing skills training for the construction workforce. It has been encouraging to see fellow contractors and sponsors grow more involved and committed to developing the “Building Community Workforce” because the future of the industry is in our hands.”
–Keith Wayne, CEO
The Cabarrus EDC supports apprenticeships in the trades and manufacturing because they provide accessible, hands-on career pathways that connect Cabarrus County students and residents directly to high-demand careers. These programs allow individuals to gain real-world skills, earn wages while learning, and contribute to the strength of the local workforce and economy. As an investor in the EDC, Wayne Brothers Companies exemplifies the value of industry partnership by actively supporting apprenticeship opportunities that create lasting benefits for both local talent and the regional business community.
Click here to learn more about Wayne Brothers’ work-based learning programs around pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship.