Hillyard Technical Center celebrates students at their annual apprenticeship signing ceremony  

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Hillyard Technical Center held its annual apprenticeship signing ceremony Thursday celebrating students as they take the next step into their future careers.

The event highlighted where each student will be placed for their apprenticeship, marking a big milestone in their journey. 

According to Christi Waggoner, the apprenticeship coordinator at Hillyard, this moment is the result of months of work behind the scenes. 

"We go through their applications and make sure they meet all the criteria and once they are accepted, we start the process of placement,” Waggoner said.  

The students selected for the program come from all of Hillyard’s sending schools.

A total of 38 apprenticeships were signed with partner employers around St. Joseph, all of whom chose to take part in the program.  

“We want to fuel the workforce, so we want the employers to give students the skills that they need to be employed when they graduate high school,” Waggoner said.  

Students in the program are expected to work full-time during the summers of their junior and senior years. By their senior year, they’ll actually be working instead of attending school during the day. 

Waggoner explained how this is possible because every student selected for the apprenticeship has already completed their graduation requirements. 

Waggoner added how the opportunity is open to a wide range of students—whether they attend through partner schools, come from rural areas, or are part of the St. Joseph School District. 

For Keelea Petro, a junior at Benton High School, signing day was a big moment since she had been working toward all year.  

“I was really looking to take the right steps I need to get here and went through the whole interview process and had to give an exam and pass it in order to work this job,” Petro said.  

Petro signed her apprenticeship with the St. Joseph School District. She plans to attend Missouri Western State University, earn a degree in education and eventually return to teach in the district. 

This summer, she’ll be working in summer school classrooms, helping younger students navigate their learning.  

“Then during the school year she will be at an elementary school just to support facilitate some of the things there,” Petro said.  

Connor Ham, a senior from Maysville High School and a guest speaker at the event, said it was exciting to see the next group of apprentices step into these opportunities. 

He pointed out how senior year can feel very different from junior year, especially as students begin focusing more seriously on their future.  

“It’s more deciding what you going to do after high school not what you have to do for high school you are already in,” Ham said.  

Ham signed his own apprenticeship last year with Lifeline Foods (now Lifeline Groups). He said the experience helped him pursue his interest in industrial maintenance, a path he first discovered in high school. 

Hillyard hopes all the students who have signed the apprenticeship agreement take the opportunity seriously and use it as a opportunity to develop skills to be employed in the future.