March 2024 USDOL Apprenticeship Newsletter

United States Department of Labor sent this bulletin at 03/26/2024 12:49 PM EDT

APPRENTICESHIP NEWSLETTER

MARCH 2024

This March has been an action-packed month for the Office of Apprenticeship (OA). Four significant milestones were announced during the month that will further support the growth and development of the National Apprenticeship System.  Individually, each of these achievements represent distinct aspects of the Biden-Harris Administration's ongoing commitment to promoting and expanding Registered Apprenticeships to meet critical industry recruitment, training, and retention needs and create equitable pathways into good jobs.

EXECUTIVE ORDER TO EXPAND REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP

On March 6, Vice President Kamala Harris and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su (pictured above), visited Madison, Wisconsin to announce an Executive Order (EO) Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government, which will help create more Registered Apprenticeship programs in the federal workforce, encourage agencies to provide preferences on projects to recipients that hire individuals who have participated in Registered Apprenticeship programs, and increase worker voice for federal programs and contracts.

The EO helps highlight Registered Apprenticeship as a proven workforce development strategy that supports good jobs in communities across the nation. It also will help showcase Federal agency commitments to Registered Apprenticeship expansion as agencies utilize Registered Apprenticeship programs to modernize and expand avenues to Federal jobs, thereby improving access to opportunities for underserved workers.

To learn more about the EO, please visit www.apprenticeship.gov or the White House EO Fact Sheet on Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships.

NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON APPRENTICESHIP MEMBERS APPOINTED

Also on March 6, Acting Secretary Julie Su announced the appointments of 30 members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) to advise the Secretary of Labor on issues related to the national apprenticeship system.  Through their work on the committee, members will leverage their knowledge and experience to provide advice on ways to use the apprenticeship training model to improve equitable access to career pathways for America’s workers and jobseekers.

Following the request for nominations, the Department appointed leaders from across the Registered Apprenticeship system, including employers, labor, and public representatives to serve a two-year term. As we re-engage with the ACA since the last membership term, we do so with 17 new members and 13 returning members. Representatives from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and the Office of Personnel Management serve as ex officio members of the committee.

To learn more about the ACA and newly appointed members, visit the Apprenticeship.gov ACA web page.

NEW GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON PRE-APPRENTICESHIP RELEASED

On March 5, DOL issued a new Training and Employment Notice, TEN No. 23-23, that describes the scope and characteristics of quality pre-apprenticeship programs.  It replaces prior guidance from 2012 and is intended, in part, to ensure that Departmental policies are fully aligned with more recent language from both the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) in Apprenticeship and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) rules.  This notice also reinforces ETA’s vision for quality pre-apprenticeships and discusses how Registered Apprenticeship programs can integrate quality pre-apprenticeship programs as one strategy in meeting their EEO requirements. Visit the Apprenticeship.gov legislation, regulations, and guidance page for complete details.

DOL FEDERAL YOUTH APPRENTICE PATHWAY PILOT ANNOUNCED

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is launching the first ever Federal Youth Apprentice Pathway. This pilot - which was shared in a March 6 departmental blog and announced at the National Youth Employment Coalition Annual Forum will help model ways federal agencies can partner with Registered Apprenticeship Intermediaries to create high-quality career pathways to good federal jobs and the apprentices will gain valuable career training and experience working in our Offices of Apprenticeship, Workforce Investment and Job Corps. The program will include a 3-year career progression, and upon completion, successful apprentices will have the opportunity to enter into a permanent federal position. Additional information regarding these opportunities is available online for review.  This apprenticeship job opportunity will be posted on USAJobs in the near future.

INAUGURAL YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP WEEK TO TAKE PLACE IN MAY

Get ready! The inaugural Youth Apprenticeship Week (YAW) is around the corner. This year’s celebration will take place May 5–11, 2024, and builds off the success of National Apprenticeship Week. YAW is a nationwide celebration highlighting the benefits and value of Registered Apprenticeship program opportunities for youth, ages 16–24. It is never too early to start planning. Review the YAW Fact Sheet to learn how to get involved. Additionally, the YAW Event Planning Toolkit and the Event Promotion Toolkit, combined, have all the resources you need to plan, organize, and host a successful event.

DOL WEBINAR ON GRANT OPPORTUNITIES TO BE HELD

The Department of Labor administers a variety of grants, which aim to connect, protect, train, support, and empower workers and job seekers. DOL grant making agencies are holding a public virtual webinar on Wednesday, March 27 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET. Come learn from Department of Labor staff across grant-making agencies about the programs and funding opportunities available at the Department. The session will also cover how to prepare and apply for a grant and how to stay informed throughout the year as funding opportunities become available. Please register for the event here.

PENNSYLVANIA STATE APPRENTICESHIP AGENCY HOLDS FIRST EVER APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS CEREMONY

Recently, the Pennsylvania Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) recognized four exemplary apprenticeship partners at an awards event to celebrate outstanding Pennsylvania program sponsors and apprentices.  Awards were presented for the following categories:  Outstanding Registered Apprentice, Outstanding Sponsor, Outstanding Pre-Apprentice, and Outstanding Pre-Apprenticeship Sponsor.  Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Nancy Walker noted that "the organizations and individuals we recognized exemplify some of the best in the apprenticeship space here in Pennsylvania."  To learn more, visit this news article.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR RECENTLY RELEASED NEARLY $200M IN AVAILABLE GRANTS TO EXPAND REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP

As a reminder, last month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of $200 million in grants to continue to support public-private partnerships that expand, diversify, and strengthen Registered Apprenticeship. Check out this press release to LEARN MORE.

We want to make sure you are aware of recently published materials to support the Apprenticeship Building America, round 2 (ABA2) and the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula, round 2 (SAEF2) funding opportunity announcements.

Second round of Apprenticeship Building America (ABA2):  NEW Prospective Applicant Webcast and Frequently Asked Questions are both available at: dol.gov and Apprenticeship.gov.

Second round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants (SAEF2): NEW SAEF2 Frequently Asked Questions is available at: dol.gov and Apprenticeship.gov.

Please note that both of these funding opportunities have applicant deadlines during April 2024.  Applications for ABA2 are due on April 15, 2024, while SAEF2 applications are due by April 4, 2024.

MISSISSIPPI SHIPBUILDING REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM CELEBRATES RECENT GRADUATES

During March, HII - Ingalls Shipbuilding division celebrated the graduation of ninety-nine Registered Apprentices.  Started in 1952, this program presently offers fifteen different occupations and has graduated a total of 4,000 apprentices.  One apprentice, Russel Sand, Jr. was recognized as the 2023 Overall Apprentice of the year.  Visit the Transportation Web Page on Apprenticeship.gov to learn about the full scope of programs available within this industry sector.

NEW APPRENTICESHIP AMBASSADOR SEARCH TOOL NOW LIVE

The Ambassador Search Feature on Apprenticeship.gov allows users to search for Apprenticeship Ambassadors by their name, organization type, industry, and state. The search results also display the Ambassadors' commitments to promote, scale, and diversify Registered Apprenticeship programs as outlined in their applications. Currently, there are 303 Apprenticeship Ambassadors between the first cohort approved in 2022 and the second cohort approved in 2023. This information will be continually updated as new cohorts are added and existing cohorts time out. The announcement of the next cohort of Ambassadors is anticipated this summer.  For more information about the listed Ambassadors, please contact [email-masked].

PROFILES OF EFFECTIVE APPRENTICESHIP AND WORKFORCE SYSTEM ALIGNMENT

This newsletter periodically features promising practices from the field that foster seamless alignment of Registered Apprenticeship within the broader workforce system.  As a Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor, the Special School District of St. Louis County’s Adult CTE Department works with its Local Workforce Development Board and braids state and federal apprenticeship grant funding to provide critically-needed supportive services to apprentices.  Thanks in part to this model, now a full 78% of the program's apprentices successfully graduate.  To learn more, visit the Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment RA TA Center on their web page.

COMING SOON:  APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING REPRESENTATIVE (ATR) AND BUSINESS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (BSR) TRAINING SERIES

The Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Center of Excellence on Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment, led by Safal Partners, is hosting national training sessions to accelerate the development of strategic partnerships between Apprenticeship Training Representatives (ATR) and Business Service Representatives (BSR). These five sessions are designed to shrink any gaps between America’s public workforce and apprenticeship systems.  This integrated training series will be moderated by the Office of Apprenticeship and include two ATR Trainings, two BSR Trainings, and a final capstone collaborative. The sessions will help each type of representative understand the other’s role within the workforce system and identify promising practices to build effective partnerships.  Please look on the Center’s website for the events to register in the future and for other valuable apprenticeship partnership resources.

MORE NEWS & UPDATES

Questions? Contact Us

STAY CONNECTED:

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:

Manage Preferences

|

Unsubscribe

|

Help

Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.

Subscribe to updates from United States Department of Labor

Email Addresse.g. [email-masked]

Share Bulletin

Powered by

Privacy Policy | Cookie Statement | Help