Some 20 years ago, Cory McCray appeared likely to become another casualty of the Baltimore streets he called home. By age 18, he was already well acquainted with the city’s juvenile corrections system, having passed through several times for various drug and gun offenses. As he approached adulthood, he didn’t know what his next step would be, and he had all but resigned himself to a fate that seemed likely to end in a prison sentence or an early death.
But McCray, a Maryland senator who now serves as the deputy majority whip, bucked the odds. And he credits his reversal of fortune to an electrician’s apprenticeship program — one that not only changed his career path but also his life’s trajectory.
McCray, who represents the 45th District in Baltimore City, has devoted much of his time in the years since serving as a passionate advocate for the role that apprenticeships play in the workforce, particularly for young people who might not have the means to go to college. Last year, McCray penned a book, “The Apprenticeship that Saved My Life: Guidebook to Navigating the Earn-While-You-Learn Opportunity of a Lifetime,” that details his personal journey and the lessons he learned going through the apprenticeship program in his home state of Maryland.
A 2023 graduate of the CSG Henry Toll Fellowship and a 2021 recipient of the CSG 20 Under 40 Leadership Award, McCray recently spoke with The Council of State Governments (CSG) about his experiences with the apprenticeship program and his hopes for the book, which offers practical advice and specific examples, designed to get those new the world of apprenticeships up and running quickly.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for concision and occasionally draws from Sen. McCray’s experiences described in the book.
What was happening in your life prior to your apprenticeship?
I grew up in a mostly poor, mostly black neighborhood in Baltimore. I hung out with my friends, played sports, and, like other kids my age, was mostly preoccupied with having fun. Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods, and most of us rarely left the four- or five-block neighborhood where we grew up. If you needed money, you usually turned to hustling, and that meant selling drugs or guns. I got caught up in that, too. And before long, I was getting into trouble a lot. I attended seven different public schools before the 11th grade, and I was removed from five of them for behavioral challenges. I also was in-and-out of the juvenile corrections system numerous times before I turned 18. Back then, if you’d asked me where my life would end up, given the direction I was going in, I’d say it would be one of two possible outcomes: in jail or the graveyard. Many of the kids I was around at the time had similar thoughts at that age. So my back was against the wall. And my mom’s back was against the wall. She was treading water and trying her best to figure it all out.
One week before my 18th birthday, I was charged as an adult with possession of multiple firearms and distribution of narcotics. I was sent to central booking, where I spent 23 hours a day confined to an 8-by-8-foot concrete cell with two beds, a toilet, a sink and a roommate. Sundays were visiting days. And I remember vividly one Sunday when my life’s trajectory shifted. I entered the visiting room, took one look at my mother awaiting me at the table, and I felt a gut punch that hit me to my core: I knew I’d let my mother down. I felt embarrassed to be who I was, especially in front of the woman who cared for me so deeply and spent the last five years hoping and praying I would stay out of trouble. I was still only a teenager, and I was facing real jail time for the second time in my life. I thought I was too far gone. In the visiting room that day, I told my mother, “Just let me go.” My mother looked at me — her firstborn child — and said the words that still shake me to this day: “Cory, I am going to keep believing in you until you believe in yourself.”
Even though I had squandered all the second chances God had given me, for some reason I was given yet another one. The prosecutor offered me a chance for release with charges remaining on hold so long as I wasn’t arrested again. It was shortly after my release that my mother delivered one more gift to me. She had called the Maryland Department of Labor and asked them to send her a list of every licensed apprenticeship program in the state of Maryland. She didn’t know much about these programs. She just wanted to find something that would keep me out of trouble. And she commanded me to visit every location and fill out every application. And that’s what I did.
What was your reaction when you learned about apprenticeship programs?
When I first was made aware of apprenticeships and the notion of what it meant to “earn while you learn,” my reaction was that it seemed like it was too good to be true. You mean to tell me that someone will pay me to learn a trade and I would start at $12 an hour? And I’d get a raise every year to where I’d be making upwards of $35 an hour after I completed the program? How could it be that such an opportunity was available right here in Baltimore and I had never heard of it?
I was apprehensive. I kept waiting to discover what the gimmick was. But eventually I learned it wasn’t a gimmick. Employers in Baltimore, in fact, had something to gain, too. They valued a trained workforce because those workers contributed to their bottom line. And, as a result, apprenticeship-trained workers were in high demand. But, of course, that wasn’t something I understood or appreciated at that young age.
How did your apprenticeship program work?
My apprenticeship was with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and it was a five-year program, which I went through from 2003 to 2008. The duration of an apprenticeship can vary, anywhere from three to five years, depending on what line of work you’re doing. Every apprenticeship program has a set number of hours you need to meet, both on the job and in the classroom. My program required 8,000 job hours and 2,000 classroom hours.
My first job site was at a parking garage being built in downtown Baltimore. It was where I first learned how to heat and bend PVC piping, how to install lighting fixtures and receptacles, and other fundamentals of electrical wiring. But I also pushed a broom and got breakfast and lunch orders for my colleagues. And while these may have seemed like trivial tasks, I was learning that everyone has a role to play in getting the job done.
I also immediately began earning money. And looking back, the “earn while you learn” model that an apprenticeship follows was perfect for me because it addressed my immediate need for income, all without sacrificing my chance to receive an education. On the job site, I had the opportunity to work overtime when necessary. And I picked up every Saturday shift possible, which paid one-and-a-half times my normal wage. And I could earn double time on Sundays. Some weeks, I worked upward of 60 hours. And I was regularly earning paychecks of $500 and more, which was great money for me at the time. We worked at the garage the first six months, and other jobs soon followed: a wastewater treatment plant, the Baltimore Sun’s printing press, the National Aquarium, and some public-school buildings. We even constructed intercom systems for McDonald’s drive-thru windows. I gained so much knowledge that first year. And I still get a sense of pride whenever I drive by job sites I’ve worked on.
On the education side, for the first three years of my five-year program, I attended one day of classroom instruction every two weeks, which was known as day school. Every other Wednesday, I sat at a desk and learned about the required basics of electrical work, such as Ohm’s law, parallel and series circuits, and more. In the last two years of my apprenticeship, I no longer had a paid day off and instead took classes two nights a week after work, usually from 5 to 8 p.m. These were my elective courses, where we covered more specific skills, such as security systems, fire alarm installations and cable-splicing. When I went to day school, I received a $50-a-day stipend to cover the pay lost for not being on the job site. And that stipend rose by $10 each year for the next two years. I never thought I would be in a situation where an organization would pay me to go to school. But it’s an opportunity that exists because there are employers who value a trained workforce.
What were the expectations for someone entering an apprenticeship program?
When I entered the program, I had no clue what electrical work was. I couldn’t tell you the basics of what a neutral wire or ground wire was. I didn’t know anything. But that was okay because the only expectations they had for me was that I’d have a good attitude, show up for work on time with my tools, and be ready to learn. The reason no one expects you to know anything is that you have a journeyman working alongside you, showing you how to do your trade and giving you instruction on how to complete each job.
What happened after you completed your apprenticeship program? How did your career proceed from there?
I walked away from my five-year apprenticeship with my journeyman’s license with the IBEW, and I wasn’t saddled with any college debt. After graduation, I began taking jobs through the IBEW. As a member of the IBEW, we have a union hall. Typically, there’s a collective bargaining agreement signed between the union hall and employers in the region. Those employers then put out job calls when they have work for electricians. And we had about 300 employers in my region and about 2,800 electricians.
From an employer’s standpoint, the collective bargaining agreement is a time saver because it gives them access to a highly skilled workforce. They can get to those jobs manned quickly. If an employer needed 300 electricians in a hurry, that sometimes can be a tall order. But with the IBEW agreement, those electricians could be deployed almost immediately. Keep in mind, the jobs I’m talking about here are in the construction field. But I should point out that apprenticeships are available in a variety of different industries, such as public safety, health care and technology.
How did the apprenticeship impact your life?
In many ways, I’d say, people are a product of their environment. Growing up in Baltimore, I was limited to the four or five blocks of my neighborhood. That was my world, and it was all I knew. In some ways, my ZIP code was dictating my life’s trajectory.
When I left my neighborhood for the apprenticeship, I was suddenly dropped into a whole different universe. And because my universe changed, the people around me changed, too. I was now working alongside people who were not just electricians, they were also homeowners, landlords and business owners. When you work with people like that and hear their stories about what they’ve done, you begin to say to yourself, “You know, I could do that, too.” And that’s a whole different level of mentorship. I’m not sure I’d be an elected official in the state of Maryland, representing the city that I love, if I hadn’t gotten that initial opportunity through an apprenticeship. It completely shifted my trajectory for the better.
Why did you write a book about apprenticeships?
Each week, I visit Baltimore public schools to talk to young people about the apprenticeship path. Usually, I’m talking to classes of 30 to 60 students. But as I get older, I realize that the greatest asset I have is my time — I don’t have enough of it. So at some point I asked myself: How can I get my message to reach more people?
When I looked for other books about apprenticeships, I found there was mostly a void. Only a few titles were available, and few of these seemed to cover the information that, in layman’s terms, would help a young person go from point A to the point B. I believed I could do something to help fill that void. My hope is that the book will encourage more conversations about apprenticeships. Only about 39% of people go to college, so what are the other 61% going to do? I think apprenticeships are a great option, particularly now with all the disruptions that are shifting the way we think about our careers. But even in changing times, we will always need electricians, plumbers, steelworkers and other trades.
I want to get this message to young folks so they can understand that there are options out there they might not be aware of. I was extremely fortunate. My mom drew straws and got lucky by reaching out to the Maryland Department of Labor. But many of our young people aren’t exposed to those who have knowledge about apprenticeships or who can frame the conversation in such a way that it will make sense to them.
What’s been a personal highlight since the book’s been released?
The book was published in September 2025, and it’s been moving well: We’re more than halfway through the first press run of 10,000 copies. We had the book release celebration at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Central Library in downtown Baltimore.
A quick story about the Central Library: When I was 9 or 10 years old, I participated in the city’s Race to Read program, which encouraged young children to read as many books as they could in the summer months when they’re out of school. That summer, I read more than 100 books, and I ended up winning our neighborhood’s contest, which meant that I got to attend a ceremony at the Central Library, which I had never visited before. I still remember walking into the building — it’s a grand, old structure that looks like a castle. Inside, my mom and grandmother sat in the audience, and I got to meet the mayor of Baltimore and the state’s attorney. It was such a proud moment for me and my family, and I still have all the pictures from the event.
I’m telling you about that childhood memory of mine because I want you to now imagine we fast forward to the year 2025. Here I was, back in the Central Library, the same space where I made that great memory as a kid, only now it’s my book that is somehow on display in this great old building. I’m on stage, and the mayor of Baltimore is serving as moderator. When I looked out into the audience, I saw my mother, my grandmother and so many of the other women who had such a positive impact on my life, and they’re all seated in the front row. I don’t usually get sentimental, but this was a moment that hit me hard. I think I broke down a little because I couldn’t help but think about all the things my mom and grandmother had sacrificed for me. It was a moment I’ll always hold onto.
So if I’m able to reach even just one person with the book and help them open a door that changes their life for the better, I’d be more than happy with that. Because that’s how you build a better world.
Apprenticeships in Action
CSG plays a central role helping states strengthen their workforce development pipelines through pathways like apprenticeship programs that expand opportunity and build stronger, more resilient communities. With the support of public and private partnerships, CSG-led programs like the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth), the Apprenticeship Data Alignment & Performance Technical Assistance Center (ADAPTAC), the State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED), and the newly launched Partnering on Apprenticeships for Government Employment (PAGE), help state governments turn policy into practice.