In 2016, DOL provided State Apprenticeship Expansion (SAE) grants to 36 states and 1 territory to grow apprenticeship. Grantees are using funds in three critical ways:
- To deepen business engagement
- To build and diversify the pipeline of apprentices
- To integrate apprenticeship into states’ broader workforce development, economic development, and educational systems.
- Florida – Integrated apprenticeship into their sector strategies approach, forged system-wide partnerships, and tapped close to 100 volunteers to identify strategies to expand apprenticeship in key areas of policy, business outreach, population outreach, and data sharing.
- Maryland – Realigned the state agency to move apprenticeship into the workforce development division – making apprenticeship more about a flexible, customizable workforce solution for businesses, as evidenced by approval of the state’s first competency-based Registered Apprenticeship program.
- Montana – Integrated apprenticeship into efforts to align economic development, workforce development, and education by creating a jointly-funded advocate position, embedding state apprenticeship staff in local areas, and expanding the role of community colleges in apprenticeship.
Three brief Case Studies and a five-minute video tell their stories.