This is your monthly AAI grantee community update with upcoming events and new resources.
Upcoming NGA Events
- AAI Learning Network Call: June 1, 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. This month we will also discuss how apprenticeship can support dislocated workers. If you have anything you’d like to share or any questions, please email kbaddour@nga.org.
Announcements from the Department of Labor
- Announcements from United States Department of Labor (USDOL): US Department of Labor Announces $3.5M Funding Opportunity to Place More Women in Registered Apprenticeships, Nontraditional Occupations: The U.S. Department of Labor announced a funding opportunity of $3.5 million for up to 10 grants to increase and retain the number of women in quality Registered Apprenticeship Programs and nontraditional occupations such as those in the manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity and healthcare industries. Apply for 2021 WANTO grant at grants.gov.
- Notice of Intent To Reestablish the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) Charter and Request for Member Nominations: The Secretary of Labor has determined that the reestablishment of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA or Committee) is necessary and in the public interest. The Department of Labor (DOL) intends to reestablish the ACA charter with revisions which are not intended to change the Committee’s purpose or original intent. The revisions update the charter to ensure its closer alignment with the Department’s current apprenticeship priorities. Additionally, DOL is requesting nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for appointment to the ACA. The reestablishing ACA charter will be filed May 19, 2021. ACA member nominations must be received by June 3, 2021.
Apprenticeship Resources
- Apprenticeship During COVID-19 (Workforce GPS): The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic downturn has imposed unexpected demands on apprenticeship programs. You can find resources including technical assistance and FAQs related to general grant management and strategies for supporting both apprentices and sponsors during this time here. Also shared here are lessons learned from workforce professionals who are supporting youth as they face the challenges triggered or exacerbated by the pandemic and the current state of the economy.
- Youth Apprenticeship Resources by Industry (Workforce GPS): You can find resources including information and guidance for new program development, employer engagement, participant recruitment, and more here.
- Accelerating Public-Sector Apprenticeships (Urban Institute): Please visit the Accelerating Public-Sector Apprenticeships Webinar event page to view the recording, event materials, and Urban Institute’s recently released fact sheet, Public Sector Apprenticeship: Improving Work for Governments and Residents.
Apprenticeship in the News
- Governor Wolf: $2.8 Million Investment to Prepare Students for Good Jobs (governor.pa.gov): Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced more than $2.8 million has been awarded in Schools-to-Work Program (STWP) grants to support new partnerships between schools, employers, organizations, or associations to create employment and training career paths for students. The program will provide students with hands-on learning opportunities including apprenticeships, workplace visits, and internships.
- Raimondo Touts Apprenticeship Programs During Visit to Electric Boat (turnto10.com): U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo touted apprenticeship programs during a visit to Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, on Tuesday. Electric Boat, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, currently has more than 240 apprentices working, with the help of government funds. The company, which employs about 17,500 workers in Groton and North Kingstown, Rhode Island, hired 2,000 new workers last year and is planning to hire the same number this year.
- Apprenticeships Across the Nation Declined in 2020, but the ‘Apprenticeship Renaissance’ Isn’t Over (EdNC): North Carolina is really emblematic of what’s happening across the country. Our new deputy assistant secretary Suzy LeVine likes to refer to it as an apprenticeship renaissance.
- Apprenticeships Have Risen 64% Since 2010. How Should Policymakers Support Them? (Forbes): The number of apprentices registered with the Department of Labor surpassed 636,000 in 2020, a 64% increase from the level a decade ago. Despite a brief plateau during the Covid-19 pandemic, the ranks of registered apprentices have increased every year since 2011.
- State Apprenticeship Programs Get Help To Fill Employment Gaps (Wisconsin Public Radio): The AAI grantee Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is taking a new approach to bolster apprenticeship programs. The agency has hired five apprenticeship navigators who will work regionally to help state residents find an apprenticeship that fits their interests. The new program started as a result of an $11.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor awarded to the state in 2019. It’s expected to run through 2023.
- Op-ed: Registered Apprenticeships: The Foundation America Needs (The Hill): According to the Department of Labor, 94 percent of apprentices who complete Registered Apprenticeships are employed upon completion, earning an average starting wage of above $70,000 annually. Yet, according to the most recent data, only 0.3 percent of the overall workforce in America have completed an apprenticeship. That needs to change.
- Labor Department Providing Apprenticeship Investment Funds (newscenter1.tv): The Department of Labor and Regulation is providing $270,000 in investment funding to help businesses and organizations train new apprentices in registered apprenticeship programs (RAP) in South Dakota. Businesses may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 for each new apprentice. Funding was made available from the U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship USA State Expansion Grant.
