Last month, the Department of Labor announced awards totaling $183.8 million to support the development and expansion of apprenticeships for educational institutions partnering with companies.New Growth worked with partners in Illinois and Ohio to help secure $16 million in funding to expand apprenticeships.
In Illinois, the Illinois Community College Board, City Colleges of Chicago, Jobs for the Future, and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) are developing customized apprenticeships in Information Technology. The program will build bridges and pre-apprenticeship programs for incumbent workers and those over 16 who are not enrolled in school to apprenticeship programs that lead to occupations in Information Technology, Programming and Software Development, and Cyber Security.
In Ohio, partners from Ohio TechNet and the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association formed the Ohio Manufacturing Workforce Partnership to leverage sector partnerships to expand apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing throughout Ohio. The program builds pathways for out of school youth over 16 and adults who are un- or under-employed, and incumbent workers that include: a connection to secondary pre-apprenticeship and CTE pathways, pre-apprenticeship programming, industry-recognized apprenticeships that incorporate on-the-job training, related technical instruction, and nationally portable, industry recognized credentials, articulation and transfer of postsecondary credit, and articulation to advanced postsecondary degrees.
Congratulations to all of the awarded applications!
A similar funding opportunity has been opened! The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the availability of $100 million in grant funding to engage employers nationwide in creating new apprenticeship opportunities across a wide range of occupations and industry sectors. The purpose of this grant program is to promote apprenticeships as a significant workforce solution in occupations and industry sectors, with a focus on IT (including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence), health care, advanced manufacturing, and financial services. Eligible applicants include nonprofit trade organizations, industry or employer associations, educational institutions (community colleges and four-year universities), labor unions, and/or labor management organizations. The deadline for applications is September 24th.
Are you looking to expand your capacity to develop apprenticeships? New Growth can help, we are currently accepting grant writing clients for this round of Closing the Skills Gap funding. Contact Robin King for more information.
