Four Beloit Memorial High School Students Start Youth Apprenticeships at Frito-Lay

Beloit, Wisconsin, October 22, 2021 – Four Beloit Memorial High School students were offered youth apprenticeships with Frito-Lay with an official start date of October 5. Seniors, Maranda Mendiola and Hugo Rodriguez, and juniors Manuel Aviles-Vargas and Ian Skilling were selected among a competitive pool of students from several area districts.

“We’re very excited to welcome our new Youth Apprentices to our Frito-Lay family. This is our second year with the Youth Apprenticeship program, and we look forward to continuing to build our talent pipeline,” said Rob Hendrickson, Director of Engineering and Maintenance, Frito-Lay. “With the current competitive field for talent, it is critical to be a leader in recruiting and retaining talent to the manufacturing industry.”

The Youth Apprenticeship program is part of the Beloit Memorial High School Academy model. Academies are small, personalized learning communities, involving a cohort of students and a team of teachers for a two through four-year span. Academies provide real-world experiences with local businesses and professionals, linking schoolwork and the workplace. “Having the opportunity to explore and take meaningful steps towards their future is a gift our students can take advantage of with apprenticeship opportunities,” said Tony Capozziello, Professional Educator and Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator at Beloit Memorial High school.

“Our Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship opportunities are the best way to find out if a line or work is truly “best” for our students. Often students think they want to do X, but when they actually perform that work they find it’s not for them, or they love it more than they ever could have dreamed,” said Capozziello.

All four students join Merrill Reed, a senior at Beloit Memorial High School, in his second year as a Maintenance Apprentice at Frito-Lay. “I am excited and appreciative of this apprenticeship and I am looking forward to taking advantage of all the great opportunities Frito-Lay has to offer,” said Mendiola.

“The School District of Beloit is thankful for our continuous collaboration with Frito-Lay and other business partners that provide apprenticeships, job shadowing opportunities, and internships to our students,” said Superintendent Dan Keyser. “We pride ourselves in providing our students with hands-on, real-life experiences to prepare them to be career, college, and community ready.”