This week (November 17-23, 2024), the U.S. Department of Labor celebrates the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week.
Over the past 9 years, the Office of Registered Apprenticeships has seen tremendous growth, including over 2.3 million new Registered Apprentices representing over 80% growth, over 23,000 new Registered Apprenticeship programs and increased percentages of active apprentices from underrepresented populations, including 201% more women, 116% more people representing communities of color, 106% more young people ages 16 through 24, 3,456% more individuals with disabilities and 21% more veterans.
Philanthropy has and continues to play an important role in advocating for, advancing, and championing apprenticeship efforts for youth and adults throughout the country. Over the past decade, Workforce Matters has supported this work by convening an apprenticeship working group, sponsoring a half-dozen virtual events, and hosting funder site visits to South Carolina, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Workforce Matters hosted a peer-to-peer learning call for funders investing in apprenticeships. During this discussion, Laura Burgher from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Sabrina Singh Kansara from the James Irvine Foundation, and Claire Fiddian-Green from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation shared why they launched apprenticeship grantmaking initiatives, their investment strategies, and lessons learned with their peers.
Laura highlighted the importance of investing in a network that can support learning, best practices, and growth for youth apprenticeships. Through Casey’s partnership with the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), the Foundation has learned, supported and championed the need for ongoing investments in career pathways for young people via youth apprenticeships. Laura also underscored the need to ensure grantmakers invest in high-quality apprenticeship programs that yield long-term outcomes for participants.
Sabrina highlighted the critical role of intermediaries, particularly in supporting and advancing non-traditional apprenticeship programs. She noted that when trusted, community-based organizations serve as intermediaries, they add value by ensuring that new apprenticeship programs are equity-centered from their inception, furthering the opportunity for equitable outcomes.
Claire shared Indiana’s experience collaborating with the CEMETS Institute to learn about the Swiss apprenticeship model. She discussed the role that philanthropy can play in supporting the development of a state apprenticeship ecosystem in partnership with government, education, and employers. She stressed the importance of organizing employers so that they can collaborate to jointly design shared solutions to their workforce challenges, which helps to ensure that apprenticeship offerings are aligned with employer expectations while also strengthening industry’s commitment to actively contributing to talent development.
These three examples are only a snapshot of the myriad ways that philanthropy is supporting apprenticeship efforts around the country. We know that many others are investing in this critical work, and if that’s you, let us know your “Apprenticeship Investment Story.” The more we share, the more our ecosystem grows!
