State Schools Report Success With Apprenticeship Program

An apprenticeship program in the state’s schools is reporting widespread success in its first few years of operation.  

The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) received an update on the Classroom 2 Career (C2C) Apprenticeship program during its regular monthly meeting Wednesday.  

C2C blends classroom-based instruction with structured, paid work experience, tailored to meet the needs of students and local workforce partners. After five years of operation, Adam Canter, director of Career Technical Education for the state Department of Education, told the board the program is a success.  

“Our latest reports show that we had over 2,000 students, over 600 business partners, over 350,000 hours logged by students, and students made in their pocket over $5 million,” he said.  

Those numbers are just for last year, and Carter estimated around 11,000 students actually do on-the-job work-based learning activities under the federal definitions of apprenticeships. 

“We’re excited because we’re creating these pipelines and working with workforce and working with higher ed in creating these pipelines for industries that are up and coming,” Carter said.  

He specifically highlighted recent agreements between the department and Hope Gas, as well as Marshall University for the aviation industry. 

Board member Victor Gabriel thanked Canter for his work and passion. 

“I feel your excitement clear up here. You’re one of those rare people that love what they do,” he said. “Not everybody is college material, and I think that’s an area that we really need to concentrate on.”  

Transfer Rule 

The WVBE also approved West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission’s (WVSSAC) rule changes resulting from the passage of House Bill 4425 during the 2026 West Virginia Legislative Session. The bill repealed previous legislation from 2023 that allowed students to transfer to other schools without losing eligibility. The revision was approved as an emergency rule and made effective June 11, 2026. Public comment is extended 30 days from the effective date. 
 
Wayne Ryan, executive director of the WVSSAC reported that close to 70 other commission rules were approved at the commission’s Board of Control meeting earlier this year. 

“The majority of those were because when I assumed this position on July 1 (2025), one of my goals was to revisit our rules and regulations handbook,” he said. “It’s been 20-some years since that had been fully done, and we wanted to cross the t’s, dot some i’s, correct ‘shall’s and ‘may’s and ‘or’s, and make sure that everything was consistent, and the rules didn’t contradict themselves in one series versus another series.” 

Superintendent Performance Review 

A board majority gave state Superintendent Michele Blatt an outstanding rating for her performance over the past year. 

The WVBE evaluates the state superintendent’s performance each year, and Blatt was similarly lauded for her outstanding work last year.