Safety First, Always: Why Your Decisions Matter to the Whole Team

We’ve all sat through the safety videos. We’ve all signed the compliance forms. It is easy to look at safety training as just “red tape”—a boring box to check before you can get to the real work. But in the trades, manufacturing, and healthcare, safety isn’t about paperwork. It is about physics and biology. And […]

The Long Haul: Turning an Apprenticeship into a Career

Some days, an apprenticeship feels like a grind. The early mornings, the physical or mental exhaustion, the feeling of being the “newbie” who has to do the grunt work—it can be tough. When you are in the middle of a difficult week, it is easy to forget why you started. You might begin to see […]

Navigating Obstacles: What to Do When You Don’t Know the Answer

It is going to happen. You are going to be staring at a machine, a line of code, or a blueprint, and your mind is going to go blank. You’ve hit a wall. You don’t know what to do next. Panic usually sets in right about now. You might worry that if you ask for […]

Building Your Crew: The Art of Finding a Mentor

No captain sails a ship entirely alone. To navigate difficult waters, you need a crew—and more importantly, you need someone who has sailed these waters before. In the world of apprenticeship, this person is your mentor. Sometimes a mentor is assigned to you officially. Other times, it’s just the senior journeyman or the shift supervisor […]

Stabilizing Your Ship: Budgeting Your First Apprentice Paycheck

Publish Date: January 28, 2026 There is no feeling quite like holding that first apprenticeship paycheck. Whether you are fresh out of high school or transitioning from a different career, seeing the direct reward for your hard work is a proud moment. It is also a dangerous moment. When your income jumps, the temptation to […]

Course Correction: Why Feedback is a Tool, Not a Trap

Publish Date: January 21, 2026 Imagine you are flying a plane from Gulfport to Memphis. If you are one degree off course, you might end up in Arkansas. If air traffic control tells you to adjust your heading, you don’t get offended. You don’t argue. You just make the adjustment so you arrive safely. In […]

Signal Strength: How to Communicate Clearly with Your Supervisor

Publish Date: January 14, 2026 In the classroom, communication is usually one-way: the instructor talks, and you listen. But on the job site, communication is a two-way radio. For many apprentices, talking to a supervisor or a journey-level mentor can be intimidating. You might worry about asking a “dumb” question, or you might not be […]

Charting Your Course: The “Unspoken Rules” of Workplace Success

You’ve finished the classroom orientation. You have your assignment. You have your start date. Whether you are stepping onto a manufacturing floor in North Mississippi, walking into a healthcare facility in Jackson, or putting on a hard hat on the Coast, the feeling is the same: excitement mixed with nerves. You likely know the technical […]

JerNeka Laird: Rising Through Singing River’s Medical Apprenticeship

JerNeka Laird is a dedicated Registered Medical Assistant with a strong foundation in patient-centered care and clinical support. Originally from Mount Olive, Mississippi, she relocated to Gulfport in 2022 to continue advancing her medical career. A graduate of Prentiss High School (Class of 2016) and Pearl River Community College (Class of 2020), JerNeka completed her […]