DOL ANNOUNCES TWO FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

On February 21, the US Department of Labor (DOL) announced nearly $200M available in grants to continue to expand Registered Apprenticeships. Included in this funding is $95 million of competitive grants through a second round of Apprenticeship Building America (ABA2), and $100 million for a second round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants (SAEF2).

Apprenticeship Building America (ABA2)

The new round of $95 million in funding for ABA grants will continue to expand, diversify, and strengthen the Registered Apprenticeship system through support for public/private partnerships designed to serve a range of industries and individuals and promote Registered Apprenticeship programs as a workforce development solution that translates training into good jobs. 

State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants (SAEF2)

DOL announced the availability of approximately $100,000,000 in funds for a second round of SAEF. The Department will award SAEF2 grants for Base Formula Funding to all States that apply. In addition to the Base Formula Funding, States with the capacity and readiness to adopt and expand Registered Apprenticeship in key innovation priority areas may apply for additional competitive funding. The SAEF2 grant program is intended to support State capacity in the development of new, and expansion of existing, Registered Apprenticeship programs, while also driving system innovation and reform. 

Visit the Apprenticeship investments website to LEARN MORE about open apprenticeship funding opportunity announcements.

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR ON YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP WEEK SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 6, 2024

Join the U.S. Department of Labor on WorkforceGPS to learn more about the inaugural Youth Apprenticeship Week (YAW), scheduled for May 5-11, 2024. YAW is an opportunity for stakeholders to bring awareness of these life-changing career opportunities. We are hosting this YAW 2024 webinar on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET to share ideas and tips!  We will review how you can also find ideas and resources on the YAW Website—including planning and promotion toolkits, and more.  Visit the Youth Apprenticeship Week web page to LEARN MORE. 

NEW APPRENTICESHIP RESOURCES FOR VETERANS

Recently, two important new resources have been made available to help veterans in connecting to Registered Apprenticeship opportunities.  The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) has developed a new apprenticeship web page featuring numerous resources that veterans can utilize.  Additionally, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has released a new Frequently Asked Questions summary to educate the public about the Veterans Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform (VALOR) Act.  This law streamlines how multi-state apprenticeship programs are certified so that their veteran apprentices can use their educational benefits to support their apprenticeship training.  Visit the Apprenticeship.gov veterans page to LEARN MORE.

NATIONAL JOB SHADOW DAY

The Office of Apprenticeship participated in the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) National Job Shadow Day on February 2, which featured several agencies across the Department and approximately 50 college students. Job Shadow Day aims to provide students with an up-close look at what a "real job" is like and to help students see the connection between what they learn in the classroom and what they will need to achieve their career goals.  A panel of DOL team members shared their experiences and advice as Federal employees, as well as their journey into the Federal Government.  Visit the Department’s Youth Employment Works website to LEARN MORE about youth engagement strategies.

KANSAS APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM SERVING THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

Last year, the Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program (RKAP), which was started by Kansas Farm Bureau, registered their very first apprentice.  This program is the state's very first Registered Apprenticeship program for the agriculture industry, offering the occupation of Agriculture Operations Specialist.  RKAP's new apprentice Jack Claerhout noted that he "definitely sees a career path with this. It helps you learn everything you need to know when and if you do get promoted. Then you can start learning higher-up stuff."  Visit the Apprenticeship.gov Agriculture web page to LEARN MORE about agriculture apprenticeships.

FIRST EVER WHITE HOUSE YOUTH POLICY SUMMIT HELD IN WASHINGTON

The Biden-Harris Administration brought together nearly 90 young people from across the nation at the U.S. Department of Education for the first-ever interagency Youth Policy Summit: Cultivating Possibilities. Key system leaders, including DOL Acting Secretary Julie Su, discussed needed policy changes and alignment across systems to better serve youth and young adults. Acting Secretary Su noted that this event "underscored the deep connection between a person’s wellbeing and the quality and availability of jobs that they can build their lives around."  Visit the Apprenticeship.gov web page to LEARN MORE about how Registered Apprenticeship can serve young adults.

PROFILES OF EFFECTIVE APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKFORCE SYSTEM ALIGNMENT

Registered Apprenticeship is recognized as an ideal workforce development strategy, both for jobseekers and employers. This newsletter periodically features promising practices from the field that foster seamless alignment of Registered Apprenticeship within the broader workforce system.  Examples of alignment in practice may include Local Workforce Development Areas hiring their own dedicated staff to be point people for Registered Apprenticeships.  This approach is exemplified by having these local workforce staff working side-by-side with their apprenticeship counterparts serving the same locality, such as the collaboration between Howard County, Maryland's local workforce agency and the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Program. Check out this resource available from the Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment RA TA Center on their web page to LEARN MORE.

DOL HOSTS VIRTUAL KICK-OFF FOR THE APPRENTICE TRAILBLAZER INITIATIVE

This week, OA brought together members of its first cohort of 57 youth apprentices and recent apprenticeship graduates chosen to serve as Apprentice Trailblazers.  Apprentice Trailblazers, along with their Registered Apprenticeship sponsors, will work cooperatively with DOL and 303 Apprenticeship Ambassadors to help diversify and expand Registered Apprenticeship.  The focus of the meeting was to both welcome the Trailblazers, introduce them to each other, and to discuss plans for their engagement and outreach activities.  Visit the Apprenticeship.gov Apprentice Trailblazer web page to LEARN MORE.

PROFILE OF APPRENTICE SUCCESS

Andre Jones graduated from college in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption to our economy. With a bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in information technology (IT) in hand, Andre felt ready to jump into his dream job as a network administrator. More than 50 applications in, Andre got interviews, even second interviews, but no job offers. Positively, Andre connected with the Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center's pre-apprenticeship program, an eight-week program that filled an important gap in his résumé by providing hands-on IT project experience with different employers.

He then was hired by the Nehemiah Center as a computer support specialist apprentice, where he obtained a Registered Apprenticeship certificate in computer support specialist/help desk technician and CompTIA certification in IT fundamentals. “Apprenticeship made my goals more attainable,” says Andre. “When I found the Registered Apprenticeship program, it gave me a sense of confidence that it was attainable.” Visit our Success Stories page on Apprenticeship.gov to read more inspiring experiences like Andre’s.