Two years ago, Andrew Lawlor was at a crossroads about what he wanted to do with his life.

“I was working in the trades, painting elevators for the past five years,” said Lawlor. “I was unhappy in my position and decided to change career paths.”

Lawlor, 28, of Hatboro, decided to begin taking online courses after work through Montgomery County Community College as a Liberal Studies major. His stepdad, Stephen Noble, is a groundskeeper at the College.  Soon after, he received an email from the College’s Career Services “Hire a Mustang” platform about an apprenticeship program with professional services firm Aon.

 Little did he know that his life was about to change for the better.

“The benefits were immediately apparent,” said the 2014 Hatboro-Horsham High School graduate of the opportunity. “The program would not only provide on-the-job learning experience but would cover tuition and even the cost of textbooks.”

Aon’s U.S. Apprenticeship Program in the Greater Philadelphia region is a two-year program that combines on-the-job learning experience at Aon with in-school classroom learning at MCCC. As an “earn-while-you-learn” model, Aon pays apprentices a salary and benefits, and covers tuition, books and fees as apprentices pursue their associate degrees.

The further Lawlor got into his Aon application the more eager he was about the opportunity.

“It allows people like me who have experience working in other fields to transition their skills and apply them in a new field,” he said. “It is a mutually beneficial relationship between employer and employee, which I personally put great value in. Aon invests in us, which in turn inspires us to do our best work.”

He was accepted into the program in July 2022. Lawlor said he was nervous at first when thinking about the transition from a workshop to an office environment. He soon realized he had nothing to worry about.

“Aon provided frequent professional development sessions, workshops, and other seminars that helped to prepare me for everything my new career would hold,” he said. “They provided a support system, which ensured I was doing my best professionally, academically, and personally.”

He studied at the College on a hybrid schedule where some of his classes were online while others he took at the Blue Bell Campus. Lawlor said he was never a good student before joining the Aon program, but with the help and support MCCC and the company provided, he earned straight As. His grades improved so dramatically that he became a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.

“It gave me motivation,” he said. “A taste of the workforce inspired me to keep going. I had a great support system. The goal of a finish line helped. We have a cohort model of six of us go to the same school and classes. It was nice to have a support system and to study together.”

Lawlor studied with fellow MCCC cohort members and Liberal Studies majors Sean Higgins and Y'Nhia Pollard. Both have accepted positions with Aon after graduation. Higgins is working in the accounting department while Pollard works in the retirement solutions department.

Lawlor completed the Aon apprenticeship in August and also landed a job as a compliance specialist with the company at its office in Fort Washington and works remotely twice a week. He’s currently pursuing a property and casualty insurance license, and a bachelor’s degree in risk management.

“My life has changed for the better,” he said. “I’m thankful for the school and Aon for the opportunity. I love Montco; it’s an amazing school. I was very happy. It was very well organized and able to meet my needs. I have nothing but great things to say about Montco. It helped me to start the next step in my career and life.”