JFF was thrilled to participate in the first annual National Apprenticeship Week, November 1-7, 2015. Around the country, industry supporters, employers, and educators joined together to showcase the benefits of the apprenticeship model in preparing a highly-skilled workforce to meet the talent demands of employers in all industries. Read Obama's presidential proclamation of the week.
JFF celebrated the weeklong event by releasing several blogs that addressed a variety of topics within apprenticeships:
- Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship is an apprenticeship that blends time- and competency-based approaches to increase the pipeline of highly qualified and diverse individuals prepared to enter middle- and high-skilled occupations within the growing manufacturing sector. We also have an informative video about the IMT apprenticeship, featuring trainees.
- Reinventing the Apprenticeship, a blog by Rachel Crew, discusses apprenticeship's evolution from an age-old model of training into the innovative and new “other four-year degree” that prepares people to fill high-demand jobs and addresses the skills gap in multiple industries.
- Expanding the Path to Apprenticeships to Women and Minority Workers, a blog by Deborah Kobes, highlights pre-apprenticeships as an accessible and effective gateway for underrepresented populations to enter apprenticeship programs.
- Apprenticeships in the U.S.—A Way to Put “Career” in “College and Career Readiness”, a blog by Nancy Hoffman, explores European apprenticeship models, explains why the U.S. should adapt similar models, and shows how apprenticeships can benefit American youth.
- Enhancing the “New" Apprenticeship through Federal Policy, a blog by Rachel Crew and Director of Workforce Policy Mary Clagett, highlights some of the federal policies and legislation that lawmakers are considering to further apprenticeship in the United States as a way to bolster our position in the global economy.
JFF applauds efforts like National Apprenticeship Week to spread effective workforce development models to more Americans, and we are pleased to share our dedication and commitment to apprenticeships and workforce development.
