Blue Ridge Honors Automotive and Business and Banking Apprenticeship Graduates

Featured photo: Automotive Apprentices at their graduation ceremony. Front Row L-R: Eric Alonso, Kevin Youngblood, Jordi Castillo, Gabriel Massey. Back Row L-R : Tristen Hampton, Brandon Maldonado Velazquez, Daniel Cruz-Perez, Bryant Ozuna Diaz, Sayre Suskey. (Photo by Rich Keen, Marketing & Communications Dept.)

Blue Ridge Community College recently celebrated graduates of the award-winning Apprenticeship Blue Ridge program. Nine Automotive Apprenticeship students graduated in July, and one student of the Business and Banking Apprenticeship graduated in August. 

At each ceremony, Blue Ridge’s Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development, Dr. Scott Queen, commended the graduates for meeting critical community needs.

“America continues to address an enormous skills gap in our workforce,” he said. “This is where you come in.”

Apprenticeship Blue Ridge currently offers automotive, business & banking, community health worker, construction, early childhood education, electrical, heating & air conditioning, manufacturing and plumbing apprenticeship tracks. Following an apprenticeship, students have the foundational knowledge, competency and skill set to grow in their chosen fields while enjoying financial independence upon graduation. For employers, the transformational power of apprenticeship builds a strategic workforce pipeline that promotes employee retention and productivity.

Learn more about applying for the Apprenticeship Blue Ridge program at blueridge.edu/apprentice.

The summer 2024 graduates of Apprenticeship Blue Ridge included, by discipline:

Automotive Apprenticeship

Eric Alonso

Jordi Castillo

Bryant Ozuna Diaz

Tristen Hampton

Gabriel Massey

Daniel Cruz-Perez

Sayre Suskey

Brandon Maldonado Valzquez

Kevin Youngblood

Business and Banking Apprenticeship

Brandon Sedon