Gov. Wolf gives $6.5 million PAsmart apprenticeship grants

Gov. Tom Wolf and Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak announced more than $6.5 million in PAsmart Registered Apprenticeship Grants to help increase opportunities for workers to “earn while they learn.”

A release states PAsmart was launched in 2018 to help increase STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and computer science education, job training and apprenticeships to help prepare workers for the field.

“Apprenticeship programs are a great way for workers to advance their skills with on-the-job training while earning a paycheck,” Oleksiak said in a release.

Oleksiak added, “PAsmart was created as part of a broad strategy to increase job training for workers and strengthen our state’s workforce. Through these competitive grants, Pennsylvania is training and retraining workers and creating a more productive, diverse and skilled labor force that our growing industries want.”

The $6.5 million PAsmart Apprenticeship Grants are part of the larger $40 million that Wolf secured for the state. A release states that $20 million will be used to support apprenticeships and more. The other $20 million will be used to expand tech and science programs in schools across the state.

A release explains that registered apprenticeship programs combine hands-on experiences, on-the-job training, and classroom education for a well-rounded experience.

It was reported that new apprenticeship opportunities in Pennsylvania have tripled. There have been over 4,700 since Wolf launched the Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) in 2016.

Below are the PAsmart Registered Apprenticeship Grants awarded in Philly:

ABC of Eastern PA (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia – $319,988)

The activities funded by this grant will create a diverse pipeline that will include at least 15 construction companies, who will hire 30 apprentices out of a pool of 60 pre-apprentices who will enter the state’s ATO Registered programs, sponsored by ABC, after completing a Construction Industry Boot Camp (with 100 participants).

Arcadia University (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia – $212,500)

Expand the existing program by building a diverse pipeline of Registered Apprentices from non-traditional populations that include women, people of color and those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. As a part of this grant, we will partner with at least four early childhood businesses in our area and recruit 15 registered apprentices.

District 1199C Training (Statewide – $500,000)

The ECE Apprenticeship Ambassador Network will lead to comprehensive, sustainable funding, including wage increases; effective data systems that inform the next steps; continued collaboration for collective impact; recognition of apprenticeship as a pathway to career advancement.

Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region (Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Philadelphia – $191,578)

The Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region is seeking funds to certify pre-apprentices and apprentices in trade-related applications used in the construction industry. The plan is to train 180 pre-apprentices and 120 apprentices during the course of the grant.

JEVS Human Services (Allegheny, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Philadelphia – $212,500)

JEVS proposes to build capacity as an apprenticeship intermediary. Together with our partners, we will expand our apprenticeship models in information technology (IT), health care and manufacturing to improve services to regional employers.

Keystone Development Partnership (Statewide – $350,000)

Keystone Development Partnership (KDP) will expand the registered apprenticeship (RA) Navigator apprenticeship for workforce development intermediaries. KDP will start a new cohort in the Southeast PA region and enroll apprentices in Western and Central PA to expand the program across the commonwealth in 2020.

NuPaths, LLC (Statewide – $212,416)

Build Distance Learning Training programs for: SOC Analyst (Cyber Security career path) program, Network Technician (Tech Support pathway) program. Deliver pre-apprenticeship training to 30 students (15 per program), in a blended (hybrid) format.

Pennsylvania College of Technology (Statewide – $212,500)

Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT) to expand and diversify registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing (AM) and health care sectors statewide.

The Philadelphia Academies, Inc. (Philadelphia – $198,329)

This project represents an expansion of a recently registered pre-apprenticeship program (at Parkway West High School in Philadelphia) in a non-traditional industry (Early Childhood Education) that establishes a pipeline to an RA program training at least 30 pre-apprentices from non-traditional populations (women, minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged individuals).

Philadelphia Works on behalf of apprenticeship PHL (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, and Montgomery – $350,000)

The Southeast Pennsylvania Region Registered Apprenticeship Ambassador Network plans to continue operations and expand through the availability of registered apprenticeship program funding for apprentices in the Apprenticeship Navigator Registered Apprenticeship program and the running of the second cohort of this program.

Rhoads Industries (Philadelphia – $194,273)

Philadelphia Works, Rhoads Industries, and Derbyshire Machine and Tool Co. propose developing an innovative entry-level pre-apprenticeship career pipeline to address the recruitment and talent development needs of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in the defense industrial base in the Philadelphia region.

The Wistar Institute (Philadelphia – $212,499)

The Expansion, Curriculum Evolution, and Enhancement During Biomedical Technician Training (ExCEED BTT) program will enhance training and increase opportunities for Pennsylvania community college students to participate in paid pre-apprenticeship experiences, which will put them on career path for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries.