Aamaly Hossain somdnewsintern@chespub.com Aug 6, 2025
When a teacher can’t print a handout, a student’s iPad freezes or a cart of laptops refuses to connect, 18-year-old Darrell Jackson Jr. is the one who answers the call. Jackson works as a computer analyst at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf — logging technology issues, solving problems and keeping hundreds of devices running. It’s a big job for someone just two months out of high school.
“I’ve [solved] over 1,200 [IT] tickets,” Jackson said. “It’s good practice because you can go back and maybe help somebody else if they have a similar problem.”
Jackson’s path to full-time work didn’t come by accident. While a student at Robert D. Stethem Virtual Academy, he joined the Apprenticeship Maryland Program — AMP — a state initiative that connects high school juniors and seniors to paid, career-focused jobs while they finish their studies.
That year-long apprenticeship gave him real experience — and a real job.
“In the beginning, I was shadowing my mentor, just watching how he resolved technical issues,” Jackson said. “Then I built a foundation and branched out into my own office, taking on more responsibility.”
By high school graduation (his zoned school was Thomas Stone High School), Jackson had helped re-image more than thousands of laptops, making Benjamin Stoddert one of only two county schools to undergo a full-scale laptop project that year.
Two months later, his strong performance paid off: the Charles public school system hired him as a temporary analyst, allowing him to keep doing what he loves.
“I know how valuable it is to get over that learning curve, especially at this early stage,” Jackson said. “The apprenticeship gave me a starting point. It helped me get past that barrier so many people face trying to get into the field of technology.”
Bridging the gap between school and work
Even though the national job market has shifted in recent years, making it harder for young people to find work, programs like AMP are helping students bridge the gap.
According to a 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, college students were about twice as likely as high school students to participate in the labor force in October 2024.
That number jumps for recent high school graduates who are not enrolled in college.
Programs like AMP are designed to make that transition easier for students who wish to go straight into the workforce after high school instead of a traditional four-year college.
Students 16 and older can apply to AMP in their junior or senior year for at least 450 hours of work-based training under an employer, earning four high school credits — three for on-the-job training and one for a related instruction course that complements their work.
“It’s really the course that helps them with their on-the-job skills,” Sandy Rooney, Career and Technical Education content specialist and AMP coordinator, said. “They take what they’re learning outside of school and apply it directly at the work site, working with a mentor to build those skills. The goal is that they’re offered a position after graduation.”
Rooney described the program as “a year-long interview for both the employer and the student.”
Last school year, 39 seniors in the county’s public schools completed the apprenticeship program.
A growing network of opportunities
AMP is part of a broader push to provide Career and Technical Education, or CTE, opportunities in the county.
“In Charles County, we have over 30 programs throughout our high schools,” Rebecca Brandt, the school system’s director of CTE, said. “They consist of two to five classes specialized in different career fields, and they allow students to explore their areas of interest. They all result in industry certifications and/or college credits.”
Currently, more than 5,000 students are enrolled in a CTE course, with about 800 graduating each year after completing a program. Brandt said CTE programs are tailored not just to student interests, but to local economic needs.
“We have five different medical fields within our CTE programs because the medical fields are the highest employers within our region,” she said. “It’s about what kids are passionate about and what will support the jobs our economy really needs.”
CTE programs cover everything from culinary arts and graphic communications to engineering and nursing. Many pathways include embedded internships, apprenticeships, and work-based learning experiences.
“The big idea is that these students are leaving high school with much more concrete ideas of their interests and strengths,” Brandt said. “Also, a step ahead as they either enter the workforce or go to a postsecondary institution.”
Hands-on learning
The programs are intentionally designed to be immersive.
“They’re very hands-on,” Brandt said. “Each classroom has a built-in lab so students are learning skills in real-time — whether that’s changing oil in automotive, mastering dance moves in performing arts or fixing computer systems.”
For AMP students, the work experience is flexible.
“Some students go to work at 6:30 in the morning and work until 11:30, then come to school for the last hours,” Rooney said. “Others take a couple of classes in the morning, then work the rest of the day. It really depends on what the employer wants and what the student’s interests are.”
The payoff goes beyond immediate employment.
Rooney said students leave with a “toolbox” of skills they can use whether they pursue full-time work, trade school or a four-year degree. For some, the apprenticeship solidifies their career choice. For others, it’s a way to test out a field before committing to it.
“We want students to choose a pathway based on their career interest — what they really want to do — not what someone else tells them to do,” Rooney said. “That’s where they’re going to be most successful.”
A student’s career
For Jackson, the program was more than a credit requirement or a resume filler. It gave him a sense of purpose and a future to build on.
“I was always fascinated by technology,” Jackson said. “But growing up, people assumed I’d become an accountant because I loved math. For a while, I believed them until I realized technology could be a career too.”
Now, Jackson plans to keep working as a computer analyst while pursuing higher education in the field.
“Who knows what the future holds?” he said. “Right now, I’m just trying to learn more every day.”