US Labor Department announces National Apprenticeship Week 2016

Washington – Employers, unions, community colleges, and others are hosting hundreds of open houses and other events to commemorate the second annual National Apprenticeship Week, Nov. 14-20, 2016. The department’s call to action is to register 600 events to double last year’s number. These events will help tell the unique story of how apprenticeship is working for more than 500,000 people in America who are registered apprentices in growing industries, including information technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, building trades, transportation, cybersecurity and business services.

This year’s events include:

• The South Carolina National Guard, in cooperation with Apprenticeship Carolina, will host an official signing event for its newly created apprenticeship programs that will benefit thousands of its members.
• DASI Solutions will host an Open House for visitors to learn about the DASI Apprenticeship Program. Attendees will tour the company’s headquarters, including the Stratasys 3D Printing studio and SOLIDWORKS training lab for a first-hand look at its Industrial Design Technician Apprenticeship Program.
• The Invictus Institute will host an Invictus Apprenticeship Open House to launch their new Regional Training Center. The event will include demonstrations and interactive training opportunities. The apprenticeship program will train unskilled and unlicensed workers to be security officers and put them on a career path toward owning and managing their own private security company. 
• The Ottumwa Job Corps Center will host an Apprenticeship Signing Day to launch the first approved Registered Apprenticeship within Job Corps programming nationwide. Employers and panel members will discuss how advanced training for Certified Nursing Assistants will help address the healthcare gap, low wages, staff shortages and turnover, and enhance placement opportunities through industry specific on the job training.
• The Urban Institute, New Work Training, and the American Institute for Innovative Apprenticeship are sponsoring the second annual Transatlantic Apprenticeship Exchange Forum. The forum will offer lessons on how best to attract employers to build apprenticeship programs, drawing on the experiences of U.S. and U.K. intermediaries and employers.

To register your NAW event and help meet this year’s goal, visit www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/NAW.

In 2015, more than 300 events in 47 states during the inaugural National Apprenticeship Week recognized the important role apprentices play in offering employers an opportunity to develop a highly skilled workforce to help grow their business while receiving on the job training.

President Obama set a bold goal in 2014 to double and diversify the number of job-driven apprenticeships within five years. Since then – through the collective efforts of employers, labor organizations, training providers, bipartisan support in Congress and state leadership – an additional 125,000 American workers have jump-started their careers through this time-tested, learn-while-you-earn employment model.

The U.S. Department of Labor invested more than $175 million in 2015 to help grow apprenticeship in America, and ensure that these earn-while-you-learn opportunities are open to more people. In 2016, with bipartisan support from Congress, the department invested an additional more than $90 million through its ApprenticeshipUSA initiative.

That’s because apprenticeship works. Job-driven apprenticeships are among the best pathways to provide American workers with the skills and knowledge they need to acquire good-paying jobs and grow the economy. Research shows 91 percent of those who complete their apprenticeship programs find employment with average wages above $50,000. The return on investment for employers is also impressive – international studies find that, for every dollar spent on apprenticeship, employers get an average of $1.47 back in increased productivity and greater front-line innovation.

During NAW 2016, business leaders, educators, community organizations and current and former apprentices will share how apprenticeship works for them using #ApprenticeshipWorks. The department encourages the public to follow Facebook and Twitter for the latest highlights on NAW and other related activities.  

For more on the department’s efforts to expand apprenticeship, visit www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/