On April 28, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration held a webinar to discuss youth access to apprenticeships in rural communities across the country, highlighting examples of successful partnerships in several regions.
Vanessa Bennett, associate director of Jobs for the Future (JFF)’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning and Amy Haden, director of the Deep East Texas College & Career Academy, discussed their work and findings with apprenticeships related to rural east Texas.
JFF and DETCCA found that:
- Investments in transportation and digital access are essential for success.
- Place-based strategies and solutions are critical for rural areas.
- Work-based learning is an effective entry point into registered apprenticeships.
DETCCA partnered with local workforce boards and Texas’s Office of Apprenticeship to become a registered apprenticeship sponsor, integrated pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship into DETCCA programs, provided training to employers and community partners on apprenticeship and expanded partnerships with Chambers of Commerce, business groups and industry.
Zach Boren, Bhavani Arabandi and Jacqueline Rayfield of the Urban Institute discussed recommendations to advance apprenticeships for rural youth. The recommendations included:
- establishing apprenticeship coordinators
- advancing group (multiple employer) apprenticeships
- addressing the digital divide
- improving transportation (for youth) in the rural landscape
The team from the Urban Institute also addressed Iowa’s High School Apprenticeship Initiative, which is one example of a state program that has taken these recommendations to scale. The program has occupational focuses in manufacturing, welding, health care, child care and information technology, with approximately 40 high schools as sponsors of apprenticeship programs with nearly 100 employers in one- to two-year apprenticeships.
You can view the full webinar and supporting materials by creating an account on the WorkforceGPS website and visiting the Events tab.
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