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Michigan Business Beat | National Apprenticeship Week – November 15-21, 2021

MW!A

Chris Holman catches up with Ryan Hundt, CEO, Michigan Works! Association, Lansing, MI,National Apprenticeship Week – November 15-21, 2021

To watch Ryan and Chris’ discussion, please click play on the YouTube Video below:

I understand November 15-21 is National Apprenticeship Week. Why is it important to bring awareness to this issue?

· National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration that gives businesses, communities, and educators the opportunity to highlight their apprenticeship programs and apprentices, and demonstrate the value apprenticeship programs offer businesses, career seekers, and the community as a whole.

· This weeklong initiative focuses on themes and industries in which apprenticeships are making a significant different for American workers, including technology, healthcare, financial services, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and more.

· National Apprenticeship week highlights the ways in which apprenticeships can help Americans succeed in our nation’s major industries.

· As our nation gets back to work, apprenticeships can help workers earn an income while learning new skills that will help them succeed in the recovering economy.

A lot of people don’t necessarily know what an apprenticeship is. Can you tell me more about what an apprenticeship is and how it works?

· Apprenticeships are industry-driven, high-quality career pathways in which employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and transferable credentials.

· Apprenticeship is a flexible training strategy that can be customized to meet the needs of any business.

· Apprentices can be new hires or businesses can select current employees who need skill upgrades to join the apprenticeship program.

How does an apprenticeship program benefit workers?

· From their first day of work, apprentices receive a paycheck that is guaranteed to increase as their training progresses.

· Apprentices also complete a combination of job-related instruction and hands-on training at the job site leading to a nationally recognized, portable credential.

· Other specific benefits include:

o Hands-on career training – apprentices receive practical on-the-job training in a wide variety of occupations and industries, such as health care, construction, information technology, transportation, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

o An education – apprentices receive hands-on training resulting in improved skills and competencies as well as the potential to earn college credit toward an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

o A career – Once the apprenticeship is complete, workers are on their way to a successful long-term career with a competitive salary and little or no educational debt.

o National credential – When an apprentice graduates from a career training program, he or she earns a certified portable credential accepted by industries and employers across the U.S.

How does an apprenticeship benefit employers?

· Customized training that meets industry standards, tailored to the specific needs of businesses, resulting in highly skilled employees.

· Increased knowledge transfer through on-the-job learning from an experienced mentor, combined with education courses to support work-based learning.

· Enhanced employee retention – 91 percent of apprentices that complete an apprenticeship are still employed nine months later.

· A safer workforce that may reduce worker compensation costs, due to the program’s emphasis on safety training.

· A stable and reliable pipeline of qualified workers.

· A systematic approach to training that ensure employees are trained and certified to produce at the highest skill levels required for the occupation.

How much money can an apprentice earn?

· Apprentices earn competitive wages, a paycheck from the first day of employment, and incremental raises as skill levels increase.

· The average wage for a fully proficient worker who completes an apprenticeship is $50,000 annually.

· Apprentices who complete their program earn approximately $300,000 more during their career than non-apprenticeship workers.

How has the pandemic impacted apprenticeships?

· Prior to the pandemic, the world of work focused on the skills gaps and what it took to attract and retain the right workers.

· Five or 10 years ago apprenticeships were pretty much for the building and construction industries.

· You are now seeing apprenticeships in areas from cybersecurity to health care to data analytics.

· Companies are increasingly looking at different ways they can bring people into their organization.

· Post-COVID, apprenticeships offer a very viable solution to the skills gap and the need to reskill and retrain individuals whose jobs were adversely impacted by the pandemic.

· Companies that invest in skills now are going to be at the forefront of driving economic recovery post-pandemic.

· Believe it or not, there will be some new opportunities that arise out of this unprecedented economic upheaval.

Has there been any effort to expand apprenticeship opportunities due to the pandemic?

· More than $19 million in active US Department of Labor grant program money has been awarded to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to support Going PRO apprenticeships, the Michigan Registered Apprenticeship Innovation Network, and the Michigan Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Network.

· These funds will go toward accelerating the development of more than 6,000 skilled workers over the next three years, with a focus on youth with disabilities, underrepresented populations, and veterans.

How does Michigan Works! assist with apprenticeships?

· We connect job seekers with pre-apprenticeship programs for youth and adults.

· We connect employers with our Apprenticeship Success Coordinators to assist them with developing apprenticeship programs, registering apprenticeship programs with USDOL, and provide application screening and qualified applicant referrals.

How can our listeners learn more about apprenticeships?

· USDOL has an online apprenticeship job finder that offers access to more than 20,000 open apprenticeships and more than 3,500 organizations in the U.S. in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology.

· You can access this resource at apprenticeship.gov.

How can our listeners learn more about the Michigan Works! Association and the Michigan Works! network?

· You can visit our website at michiganworks.org to learn more about the Association.

· On the Association website, you will also find a map that will link you to the websites of each of our Michigan Works! organizations.

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