Labor Department announces $1.9M funding opportunity to expand apprenticeships, support for women in nontraditional occupations

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1.9 million grant competition to recruit, train and retain women in high-skill occupations, such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, energy, construction and information technology. The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program will fund the grants.

“Apprenticeships are a time-tested method for training workers with the skills needed to succeed in the jobs employers need most, but for too long these earn-while-you-learn opportunities have been too scarce for women and other under-represented populations,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “These grants will help to turn the tide and ensure that more women have the support and access they need to be successful in a variety of ‘nontraditional’ careers.”

The department will award approximately four grants to community-based organizations to create regional, multi-state Technical Assistance Resource Centers. The centers will support efforts to increase the number of women entering into nontraditional occupations and Registered Apprenticeships. Services to current and potential sponsors of apprenticeship will include providing technical assistance and support related to:

• Development of connections with pre-apprenticeship programs to prepare women for Registered Apprenticeship programs.
• Orientations for employers on creating a successful environment for women in apprenticeship.
• Identifying resources for supportive services including child care, transportation, support groups and other efforts to remove barriers to women succeeding in these industries.

Eligible applicants include community-based organizations capable of establishing technical assistance resources for Registered Apprenticeship programs to assist women to enter nontraditional occupations.

The department’s Women’s Bureau and Office of Apprenticeship are jointly administering the grants.The solicitation for grant applications will be available at http://www.grants.gov/. For information on the department’s range of employment and training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov/.