The Pineville Independent Board of Education recently approved district participation in a United States Department of Labor (USDOL) Registered Apprenticeship for Information Technology for grades 11–12, offered through its workforce development partner Dataseam.
The two-year program allows the district’s Juniors and Seniors to learn a skilled trade through coursework, On-Job Training and mentoring as part of paid employment with Pineville Independent’s technology department.
Competitive funding earned by Dataseam through the USDOL, Appalachian Regional Commission, and legislative appropriation from the Kentucky General Assembly facilitates this competency-based training program, addressing Kentucky’s critical technology workforce sector shortages. Participants master enterprise-level technology skills not only relevant to an education environment, but also necessary to support community banking and healthcare, state, and local government. USDOL Registered Apprenticeships are administered by the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet.
As part of Pineville’s local investment in the program, districts earn computers to support advanced curriculum and instruction. Apprentices receive Apple MacBook Pro laptops to engage job tasks, and their everyday classwork required during the two-year training program. Successful completers earn these laptops to take into the workforce or university.
“We are excited to offer this Dataseam program to students in the upcoming year.” said Superintendent Russell Thompson. “Opportunities like this allow us to get students into the workforce successfully with a good-earning job immediately upon graduation or go on to college with skills to build upon the two years of practical work experience they receive through the Dataseam Apprenticeship program”.
Located in Bell County, Pineville Independent Schools serves 523 students. The district has been a longtime Dataseam partner, earning over $400,000 of advanced instructional technology through program participation, with nearly $70,000 during the last two academic years via Dataseam workforce and training initiatives. This significantly complements the approximately $11,000 of state technology funding the district receives annually to meet instructional needs.
Dataseam recently announced the next application round for the 2025-2027 cohort. Pineville students have the opportunity to apply though April 30, 2025. Currently, Dataseam serves 58 Kentucky K-12 districts statewide.
“District technology is a non-stop job for any school district, even a small district like ours. Being able to use an opportunity the Registered Apprenticeship through Dataseam allows us to grow students and serve these needs while learning and earning as part of their first jobs and future careers”, states District Technology Director Kenzo Vanhaesebroeck, who also will serve as the district-level Registered Apprenticeship Mentor.
For more information on the district: https://www.pineville.kyschools.us/
Download a PDF of this press release HERE.
