Businesses press Maryland education leaders on internships, apprenticeships and implementation supports

Business, union and community representatives at the Maryland State Board of Education’s Business Roundtable focused in questions and discussion on how the department will scale college‑and‑career pathways, apprenticeships and paid internships.

"Maryland Works is a program that's built out of state set aside funds from the American Rescue Plan," Justin Dayhoff, assistant superintendent for financial planning, operations and strategies, said in response to questions about implementation supports. Dayhoff said Maryland Works is intended to seed the infrastructure local education agencies need to expand pathways and noted an application deadline of April 4 for that program.

Participants pressed MSDE on practical barriers. Dr. Dwight Carr of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory said internships and work‑based learning are critical but cited transportation as a recurring constraint for high school interns who travel across counties. "One of the biggest challenges is transportation," Carr said; he urged supports so students without reliable transportation can access internships.

Several participants urged expanding apprenticeship and paid internship capacity. Todd Eckley, organizer and recruiter with UAE Local 486 (a plumbers and steamfitters training/union organization), described successful apprenticeship programs and said many trade careers pay strongly: "Some of these careers are, you know, paying a hundred grand a year plus," he said, advocating greater coordination between schools and unions. Mary Kay Myers, finance director at the Patuxent Partnership, described a local youth apprenticeship program and said staffing and schedule adaptation are implementation hurdles.

Other business leaders recommended employer partnerships, mentorship, internships tied to real work and early exposure to careers so undecided students can explore options. Attendees and MSDE staff agreed that fidelity of execution, monitoring and sufficient counselor capacity will be essential to turn plans into measurable outcomes.

MSDE and the State Board encouraged ongoing business engagement, said the department will continue gallery and data walks around the state, and asked stakeholders to complete the strategic planning survey and the Slido poll. The department reiterated that Phase 2 indicators (to be released at the State Board meeting on Feb. 28) will clarify measurement and accountability for the plan’s college‑and‑career goals.

Next steps: MSDE will continue regional engagement and data walks, promote Maryland Works application opportunities and collect additional feedback to inform Phase 2 indicators and Phase 3 flagship strategies.