This September edition of the newsletter showcases several Center webinars like our ATR/BSR Training Series, Aligning the
Workforce and RA Systems, Scaling RA with Industry, and Building Student Awareness of Apprenticeship Career Pathways. We also provide information about key funding opportunities like Clean Energy Tax Credits and U.S. DOL Grants.
This edition of the Center of Excellence newsletter provides a plethora of technical assistance resources from our Apprentice Training Representative and Business Services Representative Training Series, presentations and webinars covering the Investing in America Agenda and RA for Opportunity Youth and Positioning Your Board for Investing in America Partnerships. We also showcase Tools and Strategies for Adult Education Pre-Apprenticeship Pathway Building.
This edition provides access to Center webinars on Workforce Board Alignment with RA and a RA Academy WIOA Funding Module. The newsletter also highlights partnership opportunities with Apprenticeship CO, the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative, and helping the Center identify apprenticeship networks nationwide. Finally, we showcase the Association for Career and Technical Education and American Association of Community Colleges conferences.
This edition of the Center of Excellence Newsletters showcases the newly released TEGL 4-23, Center Webinars on "State Leadership: Establishing RA Metrics in State WIOA Plans" and "Promising Practices in Advancing Rural RA Programs." The Center also highlights presentations at the NAWDP Youth Symposium and throughout National Apprenticeship Week.
Philadelphia, PA
The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) serves more than 9,000 leaders from 1,300 chambers of commerce. Hundreds of other businesses and organizations are also ACCE members. The combined membership of ACCE chambers in the U.S. exceeds 1.2 million businesses. Members look to ACCE for best practices, industry trends, corporate partners, networking, resources, and new ideas to advance the interests of their communities.
The ACCE Conference was held in Philadelphia focusing on industry’s efforts to create stronger economies and communities by:
- Looking beyond the present to identify early signals that could evolve into trends that impact businesses and communities,
- Gaining inspiration and insights about industry trends and best practices, and
- Harnessing your chamber's enduring role and leveraging its influence to take risks and forge and bolder future.
The Center of Excellence had an exhibit booth where we spoke directly with our Registered Apprenticeship subject matter experts about how your Chamber of Commerce can help create a talent pipeline through apprenticeship.
Virtual
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Center of Excellence on Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment hosted “Building Stronger American Workforce and Education System Support for Apprenticeship,” a national virtual Town Hall on advancing alignment of America’s apprenticeship, education, and workforce systems. This special event featured U.S. DOL leaders, Megan Baird, the Acting Administrator from the Office of Apprenticeship (OA), and Robin Fernkas, the Deputy Administrator from the Employment and Training Administration Office of Workforce Investment (OWI).
OA and OWI leadership was joined by the Center lead, Safal Partners, and its five partners - the National Association of Workforce Professionals, Coalition on Adult Basic Education, National Disability Institute, Wireless Infrastructure Association, and FASTPORT – in sharing insights from the field, lessons learned from the Center’s work over the past four years, and recommendations for future work.
The Transportation, Distribution & Logistics industry employs 1 in 14 working Americans offering a wide range of career opportunities and making it challenging for employers to fill open positions. This webinar provided Business Services Representatives (BSRs) with effective strategies to promote Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs to employers in this industry. The session highlighted how RA programs offer tailored solutions to meet specific workforce needs, can be seamlessly integrated into existing training and HR development plans, and deliver clear benefits such as a skilled talent pipeline, improved retention, and reduced recruitment costs.
This webinar, presented by the Center of Excellence in partnership with FASTPORT, was presented by Dave Harrison and Scott Ellsworth. Scott Ellsworth, the Principal and Owner of Scott Ellsworth Consulting and Sherpa Management Solutions, works as a contractor with numerous workforce organization assisting employers in developing and implementing effective RA programs. Dave Harrison, Executive Director of Workforce Development and Government Relations for FASTPORT, is a highly accomplished subject matter expert in RA, workforce development, government relations, and veteran employment initiatives. Dave brings extensive expertise in transportation, logistics, financial services, information security, and artificial intelligence sectors, where he has assisted employers and workforce development professionals in meeting evolving industry needs with innovative workforce development solutions.
Virtual
The Center of Excellence hosted Office Hours - Workforce System Alignment with Registered Apprenticeship: Promising Practices for State and Local Boards as a follow-up to the Center of Excellence’s April 25th webinar, where the Center of Excellence, Center Subject Matter Expert, Alan Dodkowitz, provided a deep dive into understanding Registered Apprenticeship (RA) and workforce system alignment, the knowledge gaps that exist, and an analysis of how states are aligning their Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state plans with RA.
In this previous webinar, James Disbro, Senior Director of Regional Alignment and Programs Development for CareerSource Suncoast, and Brandon Butler, Executive Director of the Maryland Workforce Association, discussed Florida's and Maryland's apprenticeship expansion efforts. Mr. Disbro focused on elements of integration such as a Local Workforce Development Board serving as a RA program sponsor, collaboration with U.S. Department of Labor intermediaries, ways to increase RA programs within the area, engagement with post-secondary institutions, and funding opportunities to support RA. Mr. Butler spoke about Maryland’s approach to RA, challenges faced in implementing apprenticeship programs, and Maryland’s overall RA strategy.
