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 skilled workforce. In particular, the pathways are being created for the opportunity youth in our current and future pipelines, including 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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The ATR and BSR Training Series provides training on Registered Apprenticeship (RA) as an ideal solution in the workforce system and how both types of representatives can work in conjunction with one another to leverage the apprenticeship system on behalf of employers.

For Business Services Representatives:

Session 1: Understanding RA as a Business
Services Opportunity - How RA is structured and works in concert with the workforce system, recent initiatives, funding opportunities, partners, and how to speak to employers about RA.

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Session 2: Industry and Workforce: Making Apprenticeship Central to WIOA Business Services - How RA bolsters the success of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) business services, the role of the RA system, and how to coordinate and collaborate with ATRs and Navigators.

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For Apprenticeship Training Representatives

Session 1: Understanding the Public Workforce System and BSR Role - How Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) make decisions on policies, the BSR role, and funding for employers, job seekers and how it relates to RA.

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Session 2: Promising Practices for Building Effective ATR/BSR Partnerships - How to engage with BSRs to develop outreach to industry in developing new and expanded RA programs; promising practices for engaging with BSRs and other LWDB staff; and what successful collaboration between ATRs and the workforce system can look like.

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Capstone Session

ATRs and BSRs: Collaborating to Expand RA - The overlap in ATR and BSR roles related to employer engagement for accelerating industry’s understanding and adoption of RA to build talent pipelines which benefits job seekers who are served by LWDB case managers. This session showcases workforce experts featuring effective ATR and BSR partnerships.

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This Center of Excellence webinar is designed to empower educators, practitioners, and stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to seamlessly connect education with Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs. Attendees will gain insights into how education can effectively transition into apprenticeship, hear comprehensive data and statistics that highlight the impact and success rates of RA programs, and learn about the myriad of benefits of combining traditional education with RA, including enhanced skills acquisition, job readiness, and long-term career success. Industry experts will also provide examples of successfully implementing education-to-apprenticeship pathways. This informative and engaging session will equip you with the strategies and knowledge to bridge the gap between education and apprenticeship, ultimately benefiting students and the workforce.

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This Center of Excellence webinar provides technical assistance for Case Managers and front-line staff to hear the benefits and opportunities of co-enrolling Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) career seekers with Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs.

Discover the myriad of benefits RA offers your region and the apprentices, understand the essentials of co-enrolling participants in RA and WIOA, and learn about how to leverage WIOA funding to support registered apprenticeships for sustainable workforce development.

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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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This module by the Registered Apprenticeship Academy offers sponsors an overview of guidelines for quality pre-apprenticeship program issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The module helps sponsors understand how to implement quality pre-apprenticeship programs and develop a pipeline for their registered apprenticeship programs.

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This Training and Employment Notice describes the scope and characteristics of quality pre-apprenticeship programs in a manner that is consistent with the language of the Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship Final Rule and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Final Rule; identifies how pre-apprenticeship programs can increase access to Registered Apprenticeship programs for all Americans; and provides examples of quality pre-apprenticeship programs in diverse settings.

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Apprenticeship Training Representatives (ATRs) and Business Services Representatives (BSRs) are key in system alignment for Registered Apprenticeship (RA) and the workforce system. By collaborating, ATRs and BSRs can rapidly accelerate effective employer outreach and engagement in RA nationwide. While both ATRs and BSRs have their own unique set of responsibilities, the overlap in their respective roles related to employer engagement presents a natural opportunity to collaborate for accelerating industry’s understanding and adoption of RA to build talent pipelines which will, in turn, benefit job seekers who are served by Local Workforce Development Board case managers.

This “capstone” training session is the culmination of the first four sessions which were developed for each stakeholder group focused on educating each group on the other’s work. This session includes interactive learning from workforce experts and features effective ATR and BSR partnerships.

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Broad and robust partnerships give value to expanding registered apprenticeships that ultimately help meet program outcomes and increase engagement with employers. Building on the knowledge gained from the first Apprentice Training Representative (ATR) session, this training includes how to engage with Business Services Representatives (BSRs) to develop strategies for effective, collaborative outreach to industry in developing new and expanded registered apprenticeship (RA) programs; promising practices for engaging with BSRs and other Local Workforce Development Board staff; and what successful collaboration between ATRs and the workforce system can look like.

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