Leon County has launched a junior apprenticeship program to fill thousands of middle-skill jobs. The County wants to equip high school students to fill thousands of open positions in the coming years.WATCH THE REPORT BELOW: LEON COUNTY JR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMThe Leon County Junior Apprenticeship program gives high school juniors and seniors the chance to work and learn about skilled careers that don't require a four-year degree."That offers them the opportunity to come learn about it before they decide on what field they may want to go into in the future," Anitra Thomas said.Thomas is with Leon County Human Resources and says the program helps students explore career options.The program focuses on fields like EMS, medical billing, computer design, engineering, fleet mechanics, and graphic design.Leon County expects to need 38,000 middle-skill workers over the next six years."The program offers a valuable opportunity for students who have not yet decided on what they may want to do in the future, the ability to come in, work in certain fields that are considered to be skilled jobs," Thomas said.Applications for the 2026-2027 school year are open now through March 31.Students can apply for the program here.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less