The White House recently released a playbook centered around effective workforce development strategies utilized by states and local governments through funding from the American Rescue Plan. It encourages leveraging the $350 billion State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program (SLFRF) to invest in evidence-based registered apprenticeships programs, community college programs and supportive services, and it shares a series of models from across the country.
The playbook emphasizes the importance of Registered Apprenticeship programs stating that 90% of those who complete an apprenticeship program obtain employment. It cites Harris County, Texas’s $10.9 million investment in its Apprenticeship Advantage Initiative, which provides the opportunity to join union apprenticeships and technology programs to over 1,000 low-income residents. Additionally, it highlights programs from Louisville, Kentucky’s workforce development board including Kentuckiana Builds, which provides pre-apprenticeship programs in the construction trades to underrepresented populations; and Reentry Works, which administers career guidance and support to formerly incarcerated individuals. Lastly, it shares how Maine’s $11 million investment in its apprenticeship program is expected to double its number of apprentices through the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities within 14 state-selected organizations.
Shifting to identifying exemplary investment strategies within community and technical colleges, the playbook emphasizes their importance as “a linchpin of our nation’s education and workforce training system.” It highlights Oklahoma's Nursing Workforce Expansion Program, which includes $80 million in funding toward developing a larger and more highly trained nursing workforce in response to nursing shortages. Additionally, it cites Indiana Ivy Tech’s investment in construction of a technology-driven lab to provide valuable hands-on training opportunities to manufacturing workers.
The White House intends for these programs to serve as models across the country in investing American Rescue Plan funds to implement high-quality workforce development approaches. To learn more about these programs, read the full report here.
Comments