This semester the College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) enrollment in apprenticeship programs is the highest in five years with total enrollment reaching 452 students. The College reports enrollment for the current year also marks a 96.5 percent increase in CWI’s apprentice enrollment compared to 2012.
CWI offers apprentice programs in Electrical, Plumbing, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) through its Workforce Development division. CWI’s current enrollment, which reflects numbers for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015), have reached the highest levels since FY2009 for all three programs.
“We are very encouraged to see the continued growth in demand for our apprentice training,” says CWI Workforce Development Executive Director, Christi Rood. “Obviously this increase reflects improvement in the economy and labor force. It also is a tremendous indicator of our ability to strengthen our industry partnerships to ensure CWI is providing the best continuing education opportunities in the Treasure Valley.”
CWI’s Electrical program currently boasts the highest apprentice enrollment with 202 students. The program served 256 students in FY2009 before dropping to 164 students in FY2010. The lowest five-year total for the program was 116 students in FY2012.
The Plumbing and HVAC programs have experienced nearly identical demand with 126 Plumbing and 124 HVAC students enrolled this fall. In FY2009, Plumbing served 211 students while HVAC had 136 students. The programs also experienced their lowest enrollment in 2012 with 43 and 71 students, respectively.
All apprentice students must be currently employed in their industry and working toward journey status. The programs are four years in duration and students have the opportunity to take classes on campus and online.
