January/February 2022

Dear Community of Practice,

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2022! We are delighted to kick off the first newsletter of 2022 and are excited for the future to come. We understand 2021 was a challenging year for everyone, particularly those we serve through our respective programs. Similar to workforce programs pivoting and adapting strategies to get people connected to work, learners we serve through our programs also have experienced changes and challenges with lasting impacts. Our team hopes that this year will be a year of learning, innovation, continued resilience, but most importantly, one of community and connectedness.

To begin the new year, we are sharing an apprentice success story from the YMCA Early Educator Apprenticeship program. This piece features apprentice Daniela, who has completed her 12 units of early childhood education and received her Associate Teacher permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and is working towards completing her Associate’s Degree and her Teacher permit.

In this issue’s In Case You Missed It section, you will find the November 2021 WEDD webinar recording. During the webinar, California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Vice-Chancellor Sheneui Weber and leadership from the Employment Training Panel and California Workforce Development Board provided an overview of a collaborative effort between the Chancellor's Office and the Labor Workforce Development Agency, including funding utilized to support workforce efforts.

We invite you to explore the Tips From the Field section, which offers several resources including a webinar titled “Apprenticeships: Strategies and Issues for High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP),” which examines topics such as HRTP’s best practices, models, resources, strategies, and current issues related to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship in California.

We have also included an article calling for a shift in the narrative around the role of workforce development and its impact on fixing work and getting people connected to career pathways. Readers will find great reports on The Bookshelf, including Promising Approaches for Connecting Opportunity Youth to Registered Apprenticeships, outlining effective practices and strategies to connect opportunity youth to career pathways.

Finally, check out our Announcements section for news on upcoming events and other happenings in the apprenticeship ecosystem, including our new Grow Apprenticeship California website and forthcoming webinar in February.

Until next month and with care,

Apprenticeship Support Network Team
(Josh, Michelle, Shanell, and Nicole)

Success Story: YMCA Early Educator Apprentice Program

Daniela began the YMCA Early Educator Apprentice program in 2020, intending to become a teacher. She was working as a nail technician when one of her clients told her about the apprenticeship. She saw the opportunity to get free education and a career working with children. As a new mom, Daniela can apply what she is learning at home with her child.

Daniela completed her 12 units of early childhood education, received her Associate Teacher permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and is working towards completing her Associate’s Degree and her Teacher permit. She was hired by the YMCA of the East Bay 5 months ago, where Daniela has worked with infants, toddlers, and now preschool-aged children.

When asked about her success in the apprenticeship program, Daniela says, “People see me as a teacher; I contribute to society and the future. This is not just a regular job – it makes me proud to make the future a better place.” Daniela feels the program’s cohort model contributes to her straight A average by having others to lean on for support and push her to be the best version of herself.

To learn more about the YMCA Early Educator Apprentice program, please visit http://www.first5alameda.org/ or contact Pamm Shaw, Director Strategic Funding & Partnerships, pshaw@ymcaeastbay.org

We want to highlight your success stories on our website and with our Community of Practice!

We are looking for:

Success stories
Learning experiences or application of resources
Images
Articles

Please submit your stories here.

Tips from the Field

Apprenticeships: Strategies and Issues for High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP). During the webinar hosted by the University of California Labor Center, speakers from the SEIU UHW-West, California Labor Federation, and California Workforce Development Board shared their experiences and expertise related to an apprenticeship. Specifically, speakers addressed the structure and players, best practices and models, resources, strategies, and current issues in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship in California, especially as they apply to High Road Training Partnerships.
Workforce Development Should Focus More on Fixing Work. In this written commentary piece, the authors discuss the recent investments in workforce development, the future of workers, and the need for a new narrative to the most effective way to address workforce needs. The authors name the need for strategies to reduce inequity and improve job quality and offer steps the workforce development field can take to address these issues.
Diverse Partners Power Transformational Change. Maher & Maher, an affiliate of the American Institutes for Research, is working to help expand apprenticeships in tech jobs such as tech support and cybersecurity. Together with their strategic partner, CompTIA, Maher has launched CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech to expand registered apprenticeship programs in technology job roles and increase the tech talent pool for employers across the country. In this interview with Amy Kardel, Vice President of Strategic Workforce Relationships at CompTIA, CompTIA shares their insights into the progress of the project and the vision to achieve apprenticeship expansion goals through their organization's unique partnership with Maher & Maher.

"In Case You Missed It"

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
Workforce and Economic Development Division Monthly Webinar WEDD November 2021 Webinar

During this webinar, Vice-Chancellor Sheneui Weber provides an overview of the collaborative effort between the Chancellor's Office and the Labor Workforce Development Agency, including funding used to support workforce efforts. Also addressed is a report highlighting new and creative approaches to learning and teaching strategies for a post-pandemic world.

WEDD November Webinar Recording
WEDD November Webinar PowerPoint

Webinar: Modern Apprenticeships for a Modern Age: Employers Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeships In this November 2021 webinar, JFF highlights the importance of the Employer Pledge to Advance DEIA in Registered Apprenticeship and showcases an employer pledge. It features opening remarks from the U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and a lively roundtable with employer representatives who will discuss the importance of DEIA in apprenticeship for their organizations.

The Bookshelf

Promising Approaches for Connecting Opportunity Youth to Registered Apprenticeships. It is important to get youth connected to education and work-based learning opportunities. In December, JFF and SPR published a report regarding growing successful apprenticeship programs for opportunity youth. Readers will find promising practices and several proven strategies to connect opportunity youth to career pathways opportunities.
Meeting the Moment: Dallas College’s Health Care Apprenticeships. Dallas College, a recipient of Department of Labor grant funding, is working to address healthcare and nursing shortages by developing apprenticeship programs. In this brief written by New America, readers will learn how Dallas College is expanding apprenticeships in the healthcare industry and seeking to diversify the cohort of workers across multiple healthcare occupations at a time when healthcare providers are needed the most.

Announcements

REGISTRATION OPEN: Join us for our first Webinar of the year!

Upskilling and Backfilling: The Role of Incumbent Worker Training to Address the Needs of the Great Resignation
Tuesday, February 15 | 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PT

The Great Resignation is redefining and reshaping workforce development. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since November 2021, the quit rate reached 3% — the highest the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ever recorded. As more workers are changing jobs, evaluating professional goals, and prioritizing the balance between career advancement and life, now more than ever training programs have become a key strategy of upskilling the current workforce while also attracting workers looking to pivot careers. Join the Apprenticeship Support Network team for a thoughtful and engaging discussion on the role apprenticeship programs serving incumbent workers can play in meeting the needs of employers and workers during the Great Resignation. We will describe how apprenticeship is a strategy to upskill current incumbent workers while also providing new opportunities for potential apprentices entering the workforce.

Learn how several apprenticeship programs are working to upskill current workers, address staffing shortages, and create career pathways. Hear from Frank Gerdeman, Director at Lake Tahoe Community College and Josef Preciado, Director, California Apprenticeship Initiative, ARC Workforce Development, American River College, about their promising practices, lessons learned, and how they overcame challenges. There will also be opportunities to ask questions about building an apprenticeship program serving incumbent workers. This virtual event is open to all community colleges, intermediaries, adult education practitioners, stakeholders, employer partners, and workforce boards throughout California.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: The Department of Industrial Relations and the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) are soliciting proposals from Workforce Development Boards, and Apprenticeship Program Sponsors to develop new apprenticeship programs or expand on existing apprenticeship programs working to create opportunities for underserved communities. Qualified workforce investment boards can apply for up to $7,296,000 million in state funds through the State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity and Innovation grant.

Selected programs are required to work in collaboration with:

Local Workforce Development Board (WDB)
Employer/Organization/Industry Partner
Local Education Agency (LEA)/Academic Partner
Local/Regional Community-Based Organizations (CBO)

For more information on the Solicitation for Proposal, please see their website: https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/Grants/Grants.html

Key dates:

February 14, 2022 – Questions Due
February 28, 2022 – Informational Teleconference
March 1, 2022 – Notice of Intent due
March 30, 2022 – Proposals Due

The anticipated performance period for participating projects funded under this SFP will be from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025. Questions? For more information, please email: DASGrantUnit@dir.ca.gov

WE HAVE A NEW WEBSITE!

As a reminder, the Grow Apprenticeship California (GAC) initiative has recently launched a new website! Serving California’s robust apprenticeship community of educators, workforce, employers, and funding partners, the website is a one-stop shop for the apprenticeship field statewide.

The site was created through collaboration between our internal teams, including Workforce, Communications, and Technology, and features a fresh new look and user experience, making it easier for visitors to learn about GAC and our work, and to explore resources, research, and reports about apprenticeships as a whole. Visitors can also find information on GAC events, stay connected through the GAC newsletter and LinkedIn Community of Practice, and request applications for funding opportunities.

To check out the results of the work, visit https://growapprenticeshipca.org/