This is your weekly AAI grantee community update with upcoming events and new resources.
Upcoming NGA Events: (Please note that further details and information about other events can be found on the COP calendar)
- AAI Learning Network Call – September 23, 2020 at 4pm ET
- This final learning network call will give grantees an opportunity to reflect on participating in the AAI cohort, share achievements and lessons learned, and to share any recent accomplishments. Grantees will also hear reflections from the Department of Labor and NGA Center for Best Practices.
- Please join the call via the following link: https://zoom.us/j/98174536426
- Ahead of the call, please consider the following questions:
- What has been your biggest accomplishment through AAI?
- What has been the cohort’s biggest value-add to your apprenticeship work?
- What has been your most striking takeaway from participating in AAI?
- What are your plans once the AAI grant ends?
Apprenticeship Resources:
- Women in Skilled Manufacturing Apprenticeships and Careers: AAI grantee, JFF, is hosting a 2-day virtual institute from September 15-16 to provide manufacturing industry leaders with a unique opportunity to learn about best practices for hiring and retaining women. You can learn more and register here.
- AAI Lessons Learned Webinar: Slides from the 8/26 webinar can be accessed here and the recording can be accessed here (passcode: f@9cQdaQ)
- S. 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. Topics include:
- How can grantees encourage their Registered Apprenticeship program to keep apprentices employed during the COVID-19 crisis?
- For AAI grantees, what are the expectations for employer outreach and activities, which normally require meeting with people?
- Can AAI grantees modify the budget and activities to build new capacity that is more resilient to emergencies like COVID-19?
Apprenticeship in the News
- Without a Robust Apprenticeship Program, US Manufacturing Will Decline (Thomas Net): Half a million jobs in manufacturing were left open in the U.S. last year, and to reach the talent needed, companies should look toward facilitating apprenticeship programs.
- Bullock Visits Butte to Talk Apprenticeships (NBC Montana): Gov. Steve Bullock visited Butte to talk about the importance of apprenticeships and hands-on training in the community.
- Grants Help Apprentices Pay for Needed Tools (com): The Minnesota Builders Exchange, in partnership with the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, the unions, and various vendors in the area, created a grant program to assist those in apprenticeship programs with obtaining the needed tools for their trades.
- Lake Land College Among Rural Colleges Chosen for Apprenticeship Expansion Grant (Journal Gazette Times Courier): Rend Lake College and partners, Lake Land College in Mattoon and Illinois Eastern Community Colleges in Olney, have been chose as a recipient of the 2019-20 Apprenticeship Expansion Grant by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
- Halter Marine, MGCCC Team Up to Mold Apprentices into Shipbuilders (com): A new apprenticeship program through Halter Marine, in partnership with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, launched.
- COVID-19 Provides an Opportunity to Re-Imagine the Workplace in the Bluegrass State (Northern Kentucky Tribune): Navigating COVID-19 is challenging for private and public sector employers globally, however, apprenticeships hold a lot of promise, even in uncertain pandemic times.
