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Gov. Pat McCrory (left) and other government, education and industry leaders gathered at Caterpillar Inc.'s Sanford Fabrication Facility in the Lee County Industrial Park May 15 to celebrate the achievements of the first group of students to graduate from the Caterpillar Youth Apprentice Program in welding. The graduates are (front, from left) George Alfaro and Ashley Stack, of Southern Lee High School; Briana Peterman, of Lee County High School; and Biagio Esposito, of Southern Lee; and (back, from left) James Kirik, of Lee County High; and Antonio Murchison, Anthony Woodlief, and Steven Bouldin, all of Southern Lee. The two-year program is a collaboration of Caterpillar, Central Carolina Community College, Lee County Schools, and the N.C. Department of Commerce. For more information about the welding apprentice program, contact Lee County Schools Career Development coordinators Gary Hart, at Southern Lee, ghart.sl.lee.k12.nc.us, or Alison Poole at Lee County High, apoole.ls@lee.k12.nc.us. At CCCC, contact Dr. Stephen Athans, dean of Vocational/Technical Programs, 919-718-7287, sathans@cccc.edu.

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The Caterpillar Youth Apprentice Program in welding held its first graduation May 15 at Caterpillar Inc.'s Sanford Fabrication Facility in the Lee County Industrial Park. It also inducted a new class of students into the two-year program. Shown with the inductees are Brad Crace (back, left), Caterpillar plant manager, and Gov. Pat McCrory (back, fourth from right). The inductees (not shown in order) are Andrew Lin, Robert Cockerham, Edgar Terrones, Robert Marble, Hayden Douglas, Nathan Repko, Matthew Mutchler, Bernard Williams, Isidro Castaneda-Flores, Hannah Jones, Kourtney Ellerby, all of Southern Lee High School; and Zachary Powers, Christian Cedeno-Lemus, James Byrd, Aidan Dorman, and Patrick Hinzman, all of Lee County High School. The two-year program is a collaboration of Caterpillar, Central Carolina Community College, Lee County Schools, and the N.C. Department of Commerce. For more information about the welding apprentice program, contact Lee County Schools Career Development coordinators Gary Hart, at Southern Lee, ghart.sl.lee.k12.nc.us, or Alison Poole at Lee County High, apoole.ls@lee.k12.nc.us. At CCCC, contact Dr. Stephen Athans, dean of Vocational/Technical Programs, 919-718-7287, sathans@cccc.edu.

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U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (left), N.C. Sen. Ronald Rabin (center, back), and N.C. Rep. Mike Stone (right) were among the government, education and industry leaders who gathered at Caterpillar Inc.'s Sanford Fabrication Facility in the Lee County Industrial Park May 15 to celebrate the achievements of the first group of students to graduate from the Caterpillar Youth Apprentice Program in welding. The graduates are (front, from left) George Alfaro, Biagio Esposito and Ashley Stack, all of Southern Lee High School; Briana Peterman, of Lee County High School; and (back, from left) Antonio Murchison, Anthony Woodlief and Steven Bouldin, all of Southern Lee; and James Kirik, of Lee County High. The two-year program is a collaboration of Caterpillar, Central Carolina Community College, Lee County Schools, and the N.C. Department of Commerce. For more information about the welding apprentice program, contact Lee County Schools Career Development coordinators Gary Hart, at Southern Lee, ghart.sl.lee.k12.nc.us, or Alison Poole at Lee County High, apoole.ls@lee.k12.nc.us. At CCCC, contact Dr. Stephen Athans, dean of Vocational/Technical Programs, 919-718-7287, sathans@cccc.edu.

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State leaders in education and commerce were among those who gathered at Caterpillar Inc.'s Sanford Fabrication Facility May 15 to celebrate the graduation of the first class of the Caterpillar Youth Apprentice Program in welding. Pictured (front, from left) are Kathryn Castelloes, N.C. Department of Commerce bureau chief; Charlene Sumlin-Cross, N.C. Department of Commerce apprenticeship consultant; graduating students George Alfaro, Biagio Esposito, and Ashley Stack, all of Southern Lee High School; Dr. Scott Ralls, president, N.C. Community College System; and Dr. Bud Marchant, president, Central Carolina Community College; and (back, from left) graduating students Antonio Murchison and Steven Bouldin, both of Southern Lee High School; N.C. Sen. Ronald Rabin; and graduating students Anthony Woodlief, of Southern Lee and James Kirik, of Lee County High; and Will Collins Jr., N.C. Department of Commerce special assistant for workforce development. Not pictured is graduating student Briana Peterman, of Lee County High. The two-year welding apprentice program is a collaboration of Caterpillar, Central Carolina Community College, Lee County Schools, and the N.C. Department of Commerce. For more information about the welding apprentice program, contact Lee County Schools Career Development coordinators Gary Hart, at Southern Lee, ghart.sl.lee.k12.nc.us, or Alison Poole at Lee County High, apoole.ls@lee.k12.nc.us. At CCCC, contact Dr. Stephen Athans, dean of Vocational/Technical Programs, 919-718-7287, sathans@cccc.edu.