Neighborhood faculties have “vital untapped potential” to assist staff acquire in-demand abilities — however they want buy-in from employers, in keeping with a nonprofit apprenticeship group.
Greater than 500 group and technical faculties are registered as apprenticeship sponsors, however lower than half had lively apprentices final 12 months, in keeping with Apprenticeships for America’s Sept. 25 report.
The total potential of apprenticeships can solely be realized if employers and faculties come collectively in significant methods, the group stated. This entails breaking down outdated assumptions about apprenticeships being solely for the trades and displaying that they are often priceless for know-how, healthcare, finance and different sectors.
Different hurdles additionally stay, nonetheless: Public coverage limitations discourage the sort of collaboration required for apprenticeships to succeed at scale, in keeping with the report: “Funding, governance and accountability metrics can all work to advance apprenticeship — or diminish it.”
The group referred to as for added funding, a simplified registration course of and ability requirements.
The Biden administration this summer time introduced plans to broaden the registered apprenticeship program in industries equivalent to clear power, superior manufacturing, IT and cybersecurity, and Okay-12 training.
This adopted a proposed regulation that may require an apprenticeship mannequin centered on hours on the job and within the classroom, scrapping a competency-only possibility. Republicans, nonetheless, have stated the rule will increase employers’ administrative burdens and would due to this fact discourage small companies from taking part.
