College awarded $4 million grant for apprenticeship programs

Williamsport, Pa. — Penn College has received a $4 million federal grant to boost their apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training programs.

Apprenticeship programs are on the rise across the state and country in response to employer demand for more workers in advanced manufacturing, the college stated in a release.

With the new grant, the college has a goal of enrolling 865 new pre-apprentices and 486 apprentices over four years.

Known as MIDAS+, the grant is a successor to an $8 million MIDAS (Modular, Industry-Driven Apprenticeship Strategies) grant that expires this month.

The Apprenticeship Building America grant — one of 43 totaling $195 million nationwide in a second round of funding, and the only one in Pennsylvania — was announced Thursday during a U.S. Department of Labor event held on Penn College’s main campus.

The event, offered for grant partners, elected officials, dignitaries and news media, featured remarks delivered by Julie Su, acting secretary of labor, and Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy advisor and director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Another $49 million is being awarded through the second round of the competitive portion of the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants to nine states, for a total of $244 million to modernize, diversify and expand the Registered Apprenticeship system in growing U.S. industries, according to the Department of Labor’s news release .

Populations to be served by MIDAS+ include underemployed incumbent workers in advanced manufacturing, rural and urban high school and cyber/charter school students, rural youth served by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, rural inmate re-entry populations, and residents of disadvantaged communities.

“We are thrilled to receive this MIDAS+ grant, which will greatly extend the scope and reach of the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that we deliver,” said Penn College President Michael J. Reed. “We were truly honored to host the announcement today by Acting Secretary Su and Director Tanden. The programs funded by these grant awards will yield tangible benefits for individuals and employers alike, bolstering the workforce and strengthening scores of communities nationwide.”

MIDAS+ will also support the launch of Semiconductor Technician apprenticeships at Penn College, with an anticipated start date of July 2025. Employers locally, across Pennsylvania and anywhere in the U.S. can enroll apprentices in the semiconductor program — or any of seven other registered advanced manufacturing apprenticeships offered by the college.

U.S. semiconductor production is expected to surge under new governmental stimulus efforts, including the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Workers in the industry will need skills in emerging technologies like robotics, automation and digitalization. The “earn and learn” model of apprenticeship will be essential to upskilling the workforce to meet this rapidly increasing demand.

“I’m proud of the Workforce Development team at Penn College and the exceptional work they do to positively impact the lives of thousands of apprentices across the United States,” said Shannon M. Munro, vice president for workforce development.

“Over 100 employers have partnered with us to access our training to upskill their workers. The new MIDAS+ grant allows us to continue scaling programs from our base in Williamsport and build on successes to create new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship offerings in emerging industries.”