Continuing its commitment to developing a skilled workforce pipeline, JCB today announced Dr. Chastity Williams-Lasley joins as Early Career Development Manager.

With over 20 years of combined educational experience at the collegiate, middle and high school levels, Dr. Williams-Lasley previously served as the Work Based Learning Coordinator at Savannah Chatham County Public School System, where she worked with high school seniors to transition them into the workplace. Today, that passion continues from the employer side as she supports recent graduates as they transition into and grow through the Apprenticeship Programs at JCB.

Dr. Williams-Lasley holds a Doctor of Education from Walden University and a Master of Education from the University of West Georgia. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Wilmington University, teaching at the undergraduate level. As a catalyst for social change, she utilized her research and knowledge to transform a large comprehensive high school in an urban school district in Atlanta into four, Smaller Learning Communities (SLC)—ensuring students were best positioned to learn and become future leaders.

“The fact that I can still work with young adults and help them transition successfully into careers is so important,” said Dr. Williams-Lasley. “With today’s declining workforce, we need to focus on developing our next generation of leaders. I believe young people will stay in a role longer if they have the chance to discover a career that they enjoy and matches their skill set. JCB’s Apprenticeship Programs offer our future leaders the unique opportunity to experience different careers through department rotations and develop their skills fully before committing to a single position.”

Participants in JCB’s traditional manufacturing apprenticeship program are considered full-time employees at JCB as they spend 20 hours a week at JCB working and the rest of the week earning their associate degree at one of several local colleges and universities. As full-time employees, Apprentices receive a salary and benefits, and their education and educational supplies are paid for by JCB. The five-year program is designed to provide experience with numerous career paths and opportunities available within JCB’s manufacturing center in Savannah, GA. After completing the program, apprentices graduate with the skills and knowledge for a fulfilling career—including a job waiting for them at JCB.

In addition to the traditional Manufacturing Skills Apprenticeship Program, JCB also offers a Craft Apprenticeship Program. The Craft Apprenticeship program is a two-year rotational program that offers participants the ability to either join JCB in an open manufacturing position after completion or transition to the traditional Manufacturing Skills Apprenticeship Program and earn their degree while working at JCB.

“We are excited to have Dr. Williams-Lasley join the JCB family and support our Apprentices as they work toward a career in our organization,” said Tonya Poole, vice president for Human Resources. “The Apprentice Programs to date have been highly successful in creating a pipeline of team members and future leaders for the business. With the addition of Dr. Williams-Lasley, we strengthen our commitment to the success of our programs as they stand and look forward to her leadership and experience guiding us as we grow and scale the programs to fit future business needs.”

In 2022, JCB accepted five apprentices in their Savannah facility for their Craft Apprentices track and eight apprentices for Manufacturing Skills Apprentices track.