This is your monthly AAI grantee community update with upcoming events and new resources.
Upcoming NGA Events:
- AAI Learning Network Call: April 13, 3-4 P.M. EST: https://zoom.us/j/94532209241
- This is a monthly opportunity for NGA Center to share updates with the AAI cohort and for the cohort to share current challenges and successes. If you have anything you’d like to share or any questions, please email kbaddour@nga.org.
Announcements from United States Department of Labor (USDOL):
- USDOL Announces $31M Funding Opportunity to Create Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence: The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the availability of approximately $31 million in funds to establish Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence to support the expansion and modernization of technical assistance available in the registered apprenticeship system. Applicants should refer to the Funding Opportunity Announcementfor required activities for each Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence, eligibility requirements and funding ranges for each center.
- USDOL Announces Availability of $87.5M in Funding to State to Expand, Diversify Registered Apprenticeship Programs: The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of approximately $87.5 million for grants to expand Registered Apprenticeshipsacross the nation, with up to $40 million of those funds in grants awarded to states that implement required diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and demonstrate their commitment to adopt, expand and promote these efforts.
- USDOL Announces Investments to Support Ex-Offenders’ Successful Reentry into Workforce: The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $25 million in available funding for organizations that help young adults enter the workforce following involvement with the justice system. The funding is available under the Young Adult Reentry Partnership 2020 grant program and will serve young adults ages 18-24 years old who are currently or have previously been involved with the juvenile or adult criminal justice system, are low-income, or are high school dropouts at the time of enrollment.
- USDOL Releases 2020 National Apprenticeship Week Report : USDOL officially released the 2020 National Apprenticeship Week Report which highlights the work of apprentices throughout the country in 2020. Find the report, and other USDOL fact sheets, here.
Apprenticeship Resources:
- An Apprenticeship FAQ: What Employers Need to Know About Talent Development (Brookings): Employers will inevitability need to rethink their talent recruitment and staff development strategies. A way to do this is through apprenticeship programs, which enable employers to play a more active role in shaping the talent they need while also building a culture of ongoing learning and innovation.
COVID-19 and Recovery Resources:
- Department of Labor (DOL) COVID Guidance: COVID guidance for apprenticeship grants and contracts, including for the AAI cohort, is now published on DOL’s COVID webpage.
- NGA State Roadmap for Workforce Recovery: To help Governors and states align short-term activities with longer-term economic and workforce recovery goals, NGA has compiled the experience, insights, and innovations from more than 100 state and industry leaders from 32 states that participated in a series of workshops into a State Roadmap for Workforce Recovery.
Equity Resources:
- Creating Diverse and Inclusive Apprenticeship Programs (Workforce GPS): This March 16th webinar featured industry leaders who have successfully increased the diversity of their workforces and created more inclusive apprenticeship programs. The recording, transcript, and PowerPoint can be found here.
- Together We Can Increase Black Participation in Apprenticeship (JFF): JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning examines the history of structural racism that was at the foundation of an exclusionary apprenticeship model in order to reveal a more equitable path for the future of apprenticeship and workforce development in our country. Read more on the blog post here.
- Apprenticeships: A Pipeline for an Inclusive Recovery (NCSL): This is the last of four reports from NCSL exploring how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting access to employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Apprenticeship in the News
- Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Announces State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant (PR News Wire): The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has announced the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Foundation/Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium will receive a $1.1M State Apprenticeship Expansion grant to support the development of 427 Registered Apprenticeship in critical energy sector job roles.
- Apprenticeship Grant to Benefit Local Businesses, Job Seekers (Rome Sentinel): AAI grantee The Workforce Development Board of Herikmer, Madison, and Oneida Counties’ American Apprenticeship Initiative grant is helping to close the skills gap between the skills job creators seek and job seekers need.
- Tool Manufacturer First to Join SHRM Foundation HR Apprenticeship Program (com): Industrial cutting tool manufacturer Hypertherm agreed to become the first employer participant in an HR apprenticeship program operated by the Society for Human Resource Management’s charitable organization, SHRM Foundation.
- Maricopa County Expanding Paid Apprenticeship Occupations (Chamber Business News): The U.S. DOL recently ranked Maricopa County No. 1 in the nation for the number of people it places into registered apprenticeship programs who received support through its workforce programs.
- Oregon OKs First Certified Nursing Assistant Apprenticeship Program (com): Long-Term CareWorks’ CNA Apprenticeship, the first certified nursing apprenticeship program in Oregon, was approved last week by the Oregon State Apprenticeship and Training Council.
- Hurco North America Launches Apprenticeship Program (com): Indianapolis-based Hurco North America is launching a new apprenticeship program; a field service apprenticeship that starts with a 12-week industry training that merges hands-on training and repair of CNC machines with classroom materials.
- Rebound KC: Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Available in Kansas City (com): A new collaboration between apprenticeship program will help people around the Kansas City, Missouri, area enter the cybersecurity field, as Clark University’s Tech Quest Apprenticeship program is now working with Kansas City-based Full Employment Council.
- Forsyth Technical Community College Announces a New Registered Apprenticeship Program Through the Toyota Technician Training and Education Program (T-TEN) (com): Forsyth Tech is excited to announce a new registered apprenticeship program through the Toyota T-TEN program, where the college serves as the apprenticeship sponsor, and Toyota and Lexus dealership in North Carolina can sign on as a participating employer.
