The Work-Based Learning/Apprenticeship Section Announces the 2022 Seamless Work-Based Learning Professional of the Year Award
Tony Trapp, Apprenticeship Coordinator for Upper Valley Career Center was announced as the Seamless Work-Based Learning Professional of the Year at the Association of Career and Technical Educators (ACTE) National Work-Based Learning Conference held recently in Utah, The purpose of this award is to recognize a work-based learning (WBL) professional who has demonstrated overall contributions to student success through community engagement, leadership roles, student organizations, WBL classroom innovations, and WBL advocacy.
Trapp is the Work-Based Learning Coordinator at the Upper Valley Career Center, a position he has embodied for the last 10 years, after having been a part of the HVAC/R program at UVCC for 15 years.
As a result of his dynamic leadership, the program has grown exponentially and now serves nearly 200 students annually.
Tony has built strong partnerships with business and industry. He hosts an outstanding and active advisory committee, composed of employers from a six-county area. As the Apprenticeship Coordinator, Tony works with employers to hire students meeting select criteria during their junior year in a career and technical program. He oversees the students in their school-to-work placements, allowing them to “earn while they learn”. In addition, he works with industry mentors, lab instructors, legislators, parents, and students to ensure student-employer opportunities and success.
Tony’s efforts to establish and increase state recognized pre-apprenticeship programs has led to opportunities to present at numerous national, state, and regional meetings. He is in demand for his knowledge and expertise. In 2017, he was one of eight national programs selected by the USDOE Office of Career Technical Education to highlight best practices in connecting CTE and apprenticeship opportunities. Also in 2017, Tony was able to implement an International Partnership with a sister school in Hannover, Germany where they have an ongoing German/American career technical apprenticeship exchange program in place.
Tony is an advocate for students, career-technical education, and Upper Valley Career Center, of which he himself is an alumnus.
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