US Labor Department announces National Apprenticeship Week 2016

Hundreds of events highlight impact, importance of expanding apprenticeships

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. <https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/NAW/> 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<http://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<https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/28/president-barack-obamas-state-union-address>
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<http://www.dol.gov> 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<https://www.dol.gov/featured/apprenticeship>
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/<http://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/>