Walter State and First Peoples Bank Create Apprentice Program

Walters State Community College and First Peoples Bank are joining forces to create the first apprentice program for bank tellers in the state of Tennessee. Apprenticeships provide on-the-job training for individuals in approved fields while being compensated. Students will take college credit classes that provide skills needed in the banking industry such as accounting, communications, business communications and software applications. Noncredit classes include beginning and advanced customer service skills. Steve Amos, the president of First Peoples Bank, says training and an advantage in recruitment was one of the reasons he wanted to start an apprenticeship program for bank tellers. Amos also stated that in the bank’s employee recruiting efforts, they have seen that banking is often overlooked as a career option. This is the tenth Walters State apprenticeship program approved by the Tennessee Department of Labor. Anyone interested can contact Linda Leonard at 865-475-9052