News
Center Invited to White House Summit on American Apprenticeships
Posted July 2014
Center Deputy Director Jack Clark participated in the July 14 White House Summit on American Apprenticeships. The Summit was organized by the Executive Office of the President and the Department of Labor in response to the “President’s ambitious goal to double the number of apprenticeships in the next five years and expand apprenticeships into new fields and high-growth industries.”, as stated in the invitation.
The agenda featured a discussion of:
• Critical investments that can scale existing models or spur needed innovations in American apprenticeships
• Avenues to expand apprenticeship in high-growth industries and emerging occupations, such as IT, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing
• Strategies that states and regions can use to lay the groundwork for an expansion of apprenticeship in their region and to reach a wider range of workers.
Participants discussed support for the existing system of apprenticeship, largely in the building trades and expansion of apprenticeship into new areas like health care and information technology. The Center and UPS were among the only representatives advocating for expanded apprenticeships in transportation.
Equity goals in the expansion of apprenticeship became a major focus for discussion. USDOL’s report to the Summit indicated that women currently represent only 7 percent of current apprentices. Racial minorities constitute 35 percent of current apprentices. Wider Opportunities for Women was particularly outspoken in advocating an equity agenda. In that context, several people emphasized the need for pre-apprenticeship programs to ensure that people who want to enter registered apprenticeships can master the pre-requisite skills, particularly in math.
USDOL is preparing to issue a Solicitation for Grant Applications for $100 million as part of the effort to expand apprenticeship. Much of the Summit discussion aimed at influencing DOL priorities for that SGA.
USDOL continues to seek public comment on its plans for expansion of apprenticeship. Secretary Tom Perez emphasized that the Department would like people to share their top three ideas that can be “game changers” for increasing apprenticeship. Comments can be directed to skills@dol.gov
