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How Workforce Development Boards and Apprenticeship Programs Help Close America’s Skills Gap
Originally published on Medium
As Americans stand at the precipice of a new decade, the future of our economy is dependent upon a skilled workforce. With it being National Apprenticeship Week, we should celebrate the efforts of local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) in developing and upskilling the future workforce of our nation.
On the surface, there is much to celebrate. The November 2019 national unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent, the lowest in 50 years. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, American businesses continue to add new jobs, extending consecutive monthly growth to a record 120 months, averaging 167,000 net new jobs every month of 2019.
However, there are big concerns about how we can continue this trend throughout the next decade. Despite the growth in job opportunities, the challenge to secure a skilled workforce remains a critical issue for most industries. According the National Math and Science Initiative, 60 percent of the new jobs that will open in the 21st century will require skills possessed by only 20 percent of the current workforce.
To combat this growing trend, the workforce development industry is changing the way Americans view work. At the center of this change are apprenticeship programs. For many industries, apprenticeships are a proven approach to preparing Americans for jobs while meeting the needs of business and industry. These programs sponsor an employer-driven, “learn-while-you-earn” model that combines on-the-job training with job-related instruction that is tied to the attainment of national skills standards.
Apprenticeships are building blocks for upskilling the workforce and meeting employers demands to establish and sustain a skilled workforce pipeline. The tried and true model is used in a variety of job-sectors. Industries that are suffering from the lack of a skilled workforce, such as construction, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and hotel and lodging are all looking at ways to provide worked-based learning opportunities through apprenticeship programs. Many of the leaders in these industries will gather in Washington, DC next March for The Forum, a convening of 1500 workforce development professionals, business owners, and policy experts engaging in dialogue on the future of work.
Local Workforce Development Boards are strong community allies working to close the skills gap for the country’s workforce. WDBs are part of the public workforce system, a network of federal, state, and local offices that support economic expansion and develop the talent of the nation’s workforce through a variety of workforce development programs. Both state and local WDBs serve as connectors of workforce development efforts in their communities that deliver services to workers and employers.
The intersection of WDBs and the apprenticeship system provides opportunities for WDBs to use apprenticeships as a workforce development strategy, training individuals at an affordable cost while also changing the perception of apprenticeship programs by providing career awareness and benefits of apprenticeships to the millions of Americans that they serve.
According to Workforce Investment Works, apprenticeships can provide outstanding outcomes for both employees and employers. One individual from Stuarts Draft, Virginia serves as an excellent example. He suffered from anxiety, ADHD and other disabilities, and decided to search for a new beginning. He enrolled in vocational rehabilitation at the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center and found purpose in the Center’s manufacturing technology training program. He now works as an Industrial Manufacturing Registered Apprentice (IMTA) at the Hershey’s factory in Stuarts Draft. Since hiring him as an IMTA, Hershey has added over 175 more IMTAs, providing jobs for numerous members of the community
Another shining example of what can happen when WDBs and apprenticeship programs join forces comes from an individual in Ohio who enrolled in a program for dislocated workers. He obtained his electrician apprentice license and began job seeking upon graduation. He eventually accepted a fulltime offer as an Electrician Apprentice at a local construction and restoration company.
We have two reasons to celebrate this week. Apprenticeships are an important part of upskilling the American workforce and the economy continues to benefit from a tight labor market and continued job growth. But the warning signs are clear. We must do more to prepare for the decade to come and both local WDBs and apprenticeship programs will be needed to keep the American economy growing.
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