By Dave Ryan

CAMBRIDGE — Dorchester County Public Schools continues seeking ways to provide experiences and opportunities for learners. To further those goals, the apprenticeship program at Dorchester Career and Technology Center is getting underway after COVID-19 disruptions.

It’s being led by North Dorchester High School student Lily Allen, who has completed her apprenticeship with Eastern Shore Title Company. Lily will graduate this spring, and is the sole Maryland Apprenticeship completer for the 2021 school year, having surpassed the required 450 hours with Eastern Shore Title Company in Easton.
“This achievement must be highlighted,” Career Counseling and Apprenticeship Coordinator Lynn Sorrells said. “Lily is remarkable!”
When the Eagle senior isn’t in class at ND or DCTC, she plays on the varsity volleyball team. Somehow, she still found time over the preceding months — difficult times for anyone, as people navigated through the pandemic — to put in her hours at the title company.

The program is associated with Project Bright Future, a regional initiative aimed at youth who are seeking an alternative to the traditional “path to college” by pursuing a trade, working in the hospitality industry, or developing skills in manufacturing, construction and the trades.

“The mission is to create awareness of the excellent career opportunities available to students in the five county service area of Chesapeake College and to increase student participation in career technology education (CTE) programs, Youth Apprenticeship and Dual Enrollment,” a statement from the organization said. “The vision is to create a pipeline of skilled workers to meet not only the demands of our current business base, but also to assist in business retention, expansion and attraction for the region. A goal of the initiative is to support the creation of a regional CTE training center based at Chesapeake College to provide vocational training to support our largest industries and to create opportunities for growth in new industries.”

Lily made a strong contribution during her apprenticeship.
“Project Bright Future has given us the opportunity to hire and mentor our intern, Lily Allen,” a statement from Eastern Shore Title Company said. “Lily has shown strong research skills and is working in our Title Examination area perfecting her knowledge of property title chains. Welcome to our team, Lily.”

Ms. Sorrells said as the program at DCTC gains momentum, it will work closely with Rexnord, formerly Cambridge International, a wire belt and metal fabrication company engaged in international commerce. The company is launching three apprenticeship positions, Ms. Sorrells said.