Shapiro Administration champions apprenticeship programs across Pa.

The Shapiro Administration has announced that $5 million in grant funding is available to expand registered apprenticeship programs across Pennsylvania.

Organizations across the commonwealth are invited to apply for grant funding to support the creation and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs that offer earn-as-you-learn opportunities to Pennsylvania workers in historically underserved populations.

Apprenticeship programs traditionally served building trades. According to a release, the Shapiro Administration is also prioritizing the development of apprenticeship programs in new sectors and is promoting these opportunities to historically underserved?populations as a pathway to family-sustaining wages.

The? U.S. Department of Labor ?estimates that, on average, apprentices earn a starting wage of $80,000 per year after graduation and are on track to earn $300,000 more over their careers compared to workers who do not graduate from an apprenticeship program. For every dollar spent on apprenticeships, employers get back an average of $1.47 in increased productivity.

Labor & Industry’s? Apprenticeship and Training Office ? currently supports 883 unduplicated registered apprenticeship program sponsors and 1,560 occupation-specific programs across Pennsylvania. There?are?115 registered pre-apprenticeship programs and 1,685 pre-apprentices currently active.

In this round of funding, single-county initiatives are eligible for up to $400,000 in grant funding, and multi-county or statewide initiatives can apply for up to $600,000. Applicants should submit their proposals by Friday, July 12.

Qualified projects will propose apprenticeship programs that achieve the following:

• Build new or expand current registered apprenticeship programs that recruit from diverse talent pipelines and serve historically underserved populations.



• Support the expansion of programs into fast-growing and/or high-need occupations.

• Improve alignment between existing apprenticeship programs and secondary and/or post-secondary educational institutions.



• Support the expansion of apprenticeship programs with a statewide or multi-county reach.

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