The Center of Excellence showed promising practices for rural areas to sponsor Registered Apprenticeship. Participants heard steps to take in order to align the workforce system, education entities, and local employers in rural areas when considering related instruction, on-the-job learning, mentorship, employing apprentices, and return on investment when sponsoring a Registered Apprenticeship.

Subject matter experts from the Urban Institute spoke about how rural workforce development boards at the state and local level can help a business start a Registered Apprenticeship and become a sponsor. Also, rural health care and agriculture grantees spoke about their experience with program development, challenges faced and gathering stakeholders support for Registered Apprenticeship in their areas.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

This webinar provided technical assistance for workforce development boards and education entities regarding becoming a Registered Apprenticeship sponsor. This was the second part of the sponsorship series following the July webinar, Technical Tips for Becoming a Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor, and featured additional speakers who were eager to answer questions on being a workforce development board or education registered apprenticeship sponsor.

Participants learned how education providers and workforce development boards can help a business start a registered apprenticeship by becoming the sponsor. Current sponsors in the education and workforce fields shared their expertise in becoming a sponsor. Participants also received a guide and questionnaire for convening partners and a checklist to help gather the right information while engaging with an apprenticeship training representative.

Link to Webinar

This presentation enhanced participant's understanding of the knowledge gaps identified in the Baseline Knowledge Report, provided actionable strategies and recommendations to address gaps, promote alignment of apprenticeship initiatives with WIOA system through effective planning and coordination, equipped participants with knowledge on WIOA funding, and fostered collaboration between stakeholders.

Link to Document

This webinar provided assistance for workforce development boards regarding becoming a Registered Apprenticeship (RA) sponsor.

Safal Partners and FASTPORT subject matter experts spoke about how workforce development boards can help a business start a Registered Apprenticeship and become a sponsor. Additionally, current sponsors from workforce development shared their expertise in becoming a sponsor.

Participants heard how organizations made the decision to become an RA sponsor, best practices for engaging all stakeholders in the process, and the pros and cons of becoming an RA sponsor.

Link to Webinar

Link to Document

This webinar provided technical assistance for Business Services Representatives, Workforce Board staff, and workforce system stakeholders to build an understanding of how to start the process of convening stakeholders to build Registered Apprenticeship programs. Technical tools and tips were provided to make convening stakeholders easy in order to increase the capacity of the workforce system to build and expand RA programs.

Link to Webinar

Link to Document

The Center of Excellence provided insight and opportunities to strengthen participants' knowledge of Registered Apprenticeship. This webinar accelerated the impact of state and local boards to help employers and job seekers by providing information about system alignment & partnership and co-enrollment & WIOA.

Speakers included Katie Adams, Chief Delivery Officer at Safal Partners, and Melissa Aguilar-Southard, Director and Subject Matter Expert at Safal Partners

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

During this Center of Excellence Office Hours webinar, we discuss National Workforce Registered Apprenticeship Baseline Knowledge Assessment Findings. Linda Angel, the Deputy Executive Director from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, gives an overview for using Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding for supportive services with their local workforce. Finally, Judy Blanchard, Project Director and Subject Matter Expert at Safal Partners, provides an overview of On-the-Job Training as related to WIOA funding.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

Katie Adams, Chief Delivery Officer, and Melissa Aguilar-Southard, Director and Subject Matter Expert, from Safal Partners presented on behalf of the Center at the National Association of Workforce Development national conference. This presentation strengthened participants' knowledge of Registered Apprenticeship by providing some insight, basic apprenticeship information, and actionable next steps to move forward. Katie and Melissa pointed out four major knowledge gaps from a recent Workforce System Registered Apprenticeship Baseline Knowledge Assessment Report including funding support through co-enrollment and sharing knowledge about Registered Apprenticeship.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

The Center presented two sessions on building effective RA partnerships and closing RA knowledge gaps to more effectively create workforce/industry partnerships that provide RA opportunities for well-paying careers for all Californians at CWA's WORKCON 2023. The conference highlighted innovative and strategic collaborations, partnerships, programs, ideas, and principals across the state's Workforce Development Boards, Community Based Organizations, Educational entities, WIOA partners, and all those invested in the success of their local communities and the people who live in them. WORKCON is CWA’s Spring workforce practitioners conference, however, anyone interested in helping people obtain sustainable employment benefit from this conference.

The Center presented the session, What Does Workforce Really Know About Apprenticeship? This session provided insight and opportunities to strengthen workforce practitioner knowledge of Registered Apprenticeship and discussed the Center baseline report and knowledge gaps in the workforce about Registered Apprenticeship.

Link to PPT

WORKCON 2023 highlighted innovative and strategic collaborations, partnerships, programs, ideas, and principals which showcased the incredible work of CA’s Workforce Development Boards, Community Based Organizations, Educational entities, WIOA partners, and all those invested in the success of their local communities and the people who live in them. 

The Center presented an interactive session, Developing a Regional Team to Scale Apprenticeship, discussing the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship in California and included tips on making apprenticeship work, background information on Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship, and information around the roles of partners in Registered Apprenticeship.

Link to PPT