U.S. Department of Labor announced the start of National Apprenticeship Week 2020, companies and educational institutes across the country are showcasing the “earn-and-learn” opportunities.
“Apprentices have a crucial role to play in our ongoing economic recovery, and National Apprenticeship Week is a way for us to show the nation what they bring to the table,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John Pallasch in a statement.
“Over and over again, they reinvigorate our workplaces with their vision and their commitment to their futures, and business leaders, educators, state and local governments, and others across the nation are taking this week to recognize that achievement,” Pallash added.
This year’s events will focus on both traditional Registered Apprenticeship Programs and newly created Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs.
In February of this year, the Department of Labor increased funding to the apprenticeship effort by awarding $100 million in grants to 28 public-private apprenticeship programs throughout the country through the “Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap” program.
“Companies across the country tell me their greatest challenge today is finding the skilled workers they need,” Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said when announcing the program. He also said that apprenticeship was a viable alternative to a traditional bachelor’s degree for Americans seeking “good-paying careers.”
A study released in October demonstrates apprentices have the potential to earn salaries far exceeding their peers who only attended community colleges.
This model has proven to be successful for many companies. For example, IBM has run a successful apprenticeship program through its IBM’s Pathways in Early College High School (P-TECH) program. P-TECH, along with the apprenticeships, have provided the foundational professional and technical skills these young people need for success in “New Collar” jobs—those that require some skills, but not necessarily a four-year degree.
IBM is celebrating a few of its standout apprentices from all over the country:
- Justice Heughan from Baltimore, MD is working as a technical sales apprentice with the mainframe computers team
- Shekinah Griffith and Michael Blanchard from Brooklyn, NY are working as technical sales apprentices with the cybersecurity and cloud teams
- Jose Cuacuas from Newburgh, NY is working as a firmware engineering apprentice with the mainframe computers team
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