The Center of Excellence's subject matter experts Alan Dodkowitz, Nicole Bentley, and Jeremy Faulkner, alongside Amy Shields, the Executive Director of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Foundation and VP of Programs at ACCE, discussed how chambers can play one or more primary roles in Registered Apprenticeship. Participants also heard findings from a collaborative knowledge assessment given to member chambers and guidance on how chambers can serve as effective conveners of member employers.

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Safal Partners Chief Delivery Officer, Katie Adams, joined federal and state government officials during the Urban Institute’s Vision 2030: Building the Future of Registered Apprenticeship to discuss the need and vision for continued expansion and modernization of Registered Apprenticeship to create a stronger, more skilled American workforce.

This presentation discussed the Centers' work and opportunities for increasing America's public workforce system utilization of Registered Apprenticeship to serve both jobseekers and employers, as well as post-secondary and adult education engagement.  It featured Carrie Amman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association, and James Disbro, Senior Director of Regional Alignment & Programs Development at CareerSource Suncoast.

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The Center of Excellence lead this interactive workshop during the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association’s Apprenticeship PA Collaborative and Expo. This presentation helps educators, industry employers, and workforce staff learn how to develop, implement, and sustain youth Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

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Maryland's employers are struggling to fill jobs, while parents face the rising costs of college. The state has also set an ambitious goal: by the 2030-2031 school year, 45% of graduating seniors should complete an apprenticeship or earn an industry-recognized credential. Achieving these objectives will require a significant expansion of youth apprenticeships across the state.

This workshop provides insights into how education can seamlessly transition into apprenticeship. It presents data and statistics highlighting the impact and success rates of Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs and explores the many benefits of combining traditional education with RA, such as enhanced skills acquisition, job readiness, and long-term career success. Industry experts share examples of successful education-to-apprenticeship pathways. This presentation equips you with the strategies and knowledge to bridge the gap between education and apprenticeship, ultimately benefiting both students and the workforce.

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This workshop was presented at the PA Workforce Leaders Symposium and provides a holistic overview of the Investing in America (IIA) Agenda, provides examples of how communities and workforce boards can partner together to leverage resources, and explores how funds can be utilized to train opportunity youth to support Registered Apprenticeship (RA) pathways, other career pipelines, and industry’s growing needs and help Pennsylvania meet their growing workforce needs.

Through the current administration’s IIA Agenda, the administration is collaborating with state and local officials, employers, unions, community colleges, high schools, and other stakeholders to create a diverse and skilled workforce. In particular, the pathways are being created for the opportunity youth in our current and future pipelines, inclusive of the use of RA programs and other meaningful career avenues, which provide incredible earn and learn opportunities.  This workshop discusses these pipelines and how these investments in Pennsylvania can support workforce development for opportunity youth in the State.

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The American public workforce system plays a key role in helping public and private sector employers’ talent pipeline development strategies. Business Services Representatives (BSRs) working for local workforce development boards (LWDBs) are uniquely able to help employers unpack and adopt Registered Apprenticeship (RA). 

This webinar provides key information and tools including an overview of RA, discuss funding that can be utilized to support employers’ RA programs, and demonstrate how RA can support their LWDBs’ WIOA performance metrics.

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In 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants to 14 organizations to develop or expand registered youth apprenticeships. Grant funds can be spent on activities to support apprentices ages 16 to 24 years participating in Registered Apprenticeship programs in high-demand industries, including manufacturing, health care, information technology, and cybersecurity.

This research report by the Urban Institute provides background on youth apprenticeship programs in the U.S. to provide context for finalizing the design of the implementation evaluation of the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants. The report also summarizes the planned activities of the 14 grantees and the key features of each grantee’s youth apprenticeship model and discusses key issues to include in the implementation evaluation.

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The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) serves more than 9,000 leaders from 1,300 chambers of commerce, including 93 of the top 100 metro areas in the U.S. The Center of Excellence presented at the ACCE's 2024 conference about leveraging Chambers of Commerce in Registered Apprenticeship alignment efforts. Participants explored the five core components of Registered Apprenticeship and gained insights into the current role of Chambers of Commerce in these programs. The session showcased best practices for Chamber involvement, featuring a presentation from the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Attendees also learned how their Chambers can engage more effectively to benefit local jobseekers, employers, and the Chambers themselves.

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The presentation "Essentials of a High-Quality Pre-Apprenticeship" outlines key elements for developing effective pre-apprenticeship programs that prepare participants for high-quality apprenticeship opportunities. It highlights six critical characteristics: transparent entry and success requirements, skill development through hands-on activities, alignment with local employer needs, earning industry-recognized credentials, offering academic and career support, and ensuring a smooth transition to registered apprenticeships. These programs aim to increase diversity and equity, bridge skill gaps, and provide essential support for participants to succeed in their career paths.

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This flowchart shows the relationship between recruitment and retention services for pre-apprenticeship to apprenticeship with your local workforce board. Once a participant transitions from pre-apprenticeship to apprenticeship, available resources for apprentices consist of On-the-Job Training, Supportive Services, and Related Technical Instruction.

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The "Principles for Equity in Apprenticeship" emphasizes designing apprenticeship programs that integrate equity throughout their structure, from recruitment to support systems, to ensure they cater to diverse workers' needs. Programs, including WERC in Los Angeles, leverage socio-economic and cultural backgrounds as assets, using these unique experiences to enhance apprentices' ability to connect in their roles​​. Mentorship and continuous feedback are crucial, helping programs to refine and improve while ensuring apprentices transition smoothly into quality jobs that support families​ ​. Overall, the principles advocate for leveraging race, ethnicity, and gender as strengths and ensuring that apprenticeships lead to substantial career opportunities, not just jobs​.

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This brief outlines principles to guide federal, state, and local decision-makers and partners in developing equitable pre-apprenticeship programs and policy. These principles can mitigate the risk of investing in low-quality programs that lead to nowhere. Use this document to frame, analyze, and receive recommendations for the development of high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs.

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In this webinar, you will learn about strategies for increasing diversity in the apprenticeship pipeline. You will have the opportunity to hear from experts in the field as they share knowledge and resources about increasing diversity in apprenticeship as well as learn some insights shared by states who participated in the Diversity of Apprenticeship Participants Innovation Cohort. You will also hear insights from states who participated in the Diversity of Apprenticeship Participants Innovation Cohort.

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In this report, Young Invincibles provides recommendations on how Illinois can create apprenticeships that achieve gender and racial equity. The recommendations are based on a review of state and local strategies for scaling apprenticeships that serve women and people of color, examining work in Oregon, South Carolina, New York, and Massachusetts. You'll also read about strong practices in Illinois, learned from the apprenticeship and work-based learning programs of multiple partners nationwide. In this report, you will learn about the apprenticeship landscape in Illinois and the challenges the state faces in apprenticeship growth as well as the state's equity vision.

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This brief explores strategies that 22 leading companies and industry associations are using to make apprenticeship models more diverse and inclusive and, in turn, advance equity in their companies and the communities they serve. Some of these strategies have been identified as best practices by community-based organizations working with underrepresented populations and training providers but have not yet gained widespread employer buy-in. The examples shared here serve as lessons illustrating how more businesses can apply these strategies in their apprenticeship programs to improve diversity and equity within their internal operations and throughout their industries.

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