Amy Firestone

Dr. Amy Firestone is the Vice President of Apprenticeship Carolina™ for the South Carolina Technical College System. She leads a multidisciplinary team of consultants in expanding youth and adult apprenticeships across the state. Under Dr. Firestone’s leadership, on July 1, 2020, Apprenticeship Carolina obtained $11.5 million in apprenticeship grant funds from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Last year, Dr. Firestone was chosen for and participated in the prestigious Fulbright grant to advise the Chamber of Commerce in Colombia on developing its apprenticeships.

Before joining the Apprenticeship Carolina team, Dr. Firestone served as the Dean of Continuing Education and Professional Development at Miami Dade College, the largest community college in the nation. As Dean, she led eight campuses in adult education, workforce education, corporate training, and recreation and leisure initiatives.

Prior to Miami Dade College, Dr. Firestone made headlines as the Senior Advisor on Education in the Office of Apprenticeship for the United States Department of Labor. She led USDOL’s Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium (RACC), consisting of more than 400 colleges nationwide, and led the nation’s youth apprenticeship policy development.

Dr. Firestone earned a Bachelor’s degree in Hispanic Studies from the College of William & Mary. She earned a Master’s degree in Latin American studies and a Doctoral degree in Spanish Sociolinguistics from the University of Illinois. She also published a book on urban youth in Peru, entitled Combinamos el Quechua ‘We Combine Quechua’: Language and Identity among Urban Youth in Peru. Her book is available in the collections of ivy-league universities, such as Princeton and Stanford, and is available for purchase in Latin America and Europe.