- Registration is Open Tri-Association Conference March 8-11
In today’s rapidly changing labor market, industries are seeking smarter ways to build, grow, and retain a skilled workforce. This session highlights a powerful collaboration between Apprenticeship Carolina and the Building Talent Foundation (BTF), a partnership that creates seamless, industry-aligned workforce pipelines for both emerging talent and experienced adults.
Far more than a student engagement initiative, this model reaches across the full talent spectrum:
• Students exploring careers,
• Adults seeking new opportunities,
• Career changers looking for stability, and
• Current employees ready to upskill and advance.
Attendees will learn how Apprenticeship Carolina and BTF combine their strengths to connect people at every stage of life to structured, earn while you learn pathways that lead to high-demand careers. Through shared employer networks, coordinated outreach, and aligned training models, the two organizations have built a partnership that is both innovative and highly replicable across the state.
This dynamic session will explore how their collaboration:
• Establishes workforce pipelines that span youth, adult learners, and incumbent workers
• Engages students, jobseekers, and career changers through pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships
• Helps employers create clear, stackable advancement pathways for their current employees while benefiting from state tax incentives.
• Uses industry supported frameworks to close skill gaps quickly and sustainably
• Provides a blueprint for replicating this model statewide across multiple sectors
Participants will learn how to:
1. Design comprehensive pipelines that serve both emerging youth talent and adults at various career stages.
2. Replicate the Apprenticeship Carolina–BTF partnership model to address local and regional workforce shortages.
3. Engage employers in building structured, scalable apprenticeships and upskilling pathways.
4. Create inclusive outreach strategies that attract students, unemployed individuals, and professionals seeking career transitions.
5. Develop sustainable systems that deliver long-term talent solutions for industry.
Attendees will leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies for building their own cross-agency workforce ecosystems that truly serve an entire community.
Tania Appel serves as the Youth and Community Apprenticeship Consultant for Apprenticeship Carolina, bringing more than 25 years of experience in workforce development. Her expertise includes registered apprenticeships, strategic collaboration, youth engagement, and community-focused problem solving. She is passionate about creating equitable pathways to employment for underserved and underrepresented populations.
Tania holds an Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies, a Bachelor of Science in Community and Human Services, and a Master of Science in Psychology. Her diverse background includes working as a paralegal and as an adjunct psychology instructor. She spent a decade with South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation as a Business Development Specialist, where she worked closely with individuals with disabilities and employers to promote inclusive hiring practices. In her current role, she serves as a liaison between the U.S. Department of Labor and businesses interested in developing registered apprenticeship programs.
Doug Obenour is the Senior Engagement Manager for The Building Talent Foundation where he has worked for over 4 years. Doug got his first taste of construction at the age of 15 in his family’s roofing and sheet metal business in Miami. The experience with his family’s company provided him with the knowledge and skills of several construction trades such as roofing & sheet metal, concrete, framing, carpentry, drywall, painting, and more. His 45-year career has taken him from an entry-level construction helper, to an investment, commodities & futures broker, to the recruitment industry. In 2000, after 8 years as a physician recruiter, he launched his own recruitment firm serving the medical industry which he owned and operated until 2019. His construction experience, knowledge, and skills will help him to strengthen the local trades and give back to his community.
Myrtle Beach, SC | March 8-11, 2026
