By Ryan Hundt
In today’s economy, where employers are having a hard time finding trained and skilled workers, companies are increasingly looking at different ways they can bring people into their organization. As our nation gets back to work, apprenticeships can help workers earn an income while learning new skills that will help them succeed in a rapidly changing, globally competitive marketplace.
To that end, the Michigan Works! Association is joining in on the celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place from November 15-21, 2021. This is a nationwide celebration where industry, labor, equity, workforce, education, and government leaders host events to showcase the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeships for re-building our economy, advancing racial and gender equity, and supporting underserved communities. NAW is an opportunity to highlight how Registered Apprenticeships, a proven and industry-driven training model, provide a critical talent pipeline that can help address some of our nation’s pressing workforce challenges. such as responding to critical supply chain demands, supporting a clean energy workforce, modernizing our cybersecurity response, addressing public health issues, and rebuilding our country’s infrastructure.
Apprenticeships offer benefits for both employers and employees alike. For employers, apprenticeships provide a way to address skills gaps while mitigating the current labor shortage. Employees who go through an apprenticeship program tend to be more loyal and are often able to adapt to change and perform tasks more quickly than those not hired from within the company. Ninety-one percent of apprentices stay at the job where they received training, and employers receive an average of $1.47 back in increased productivity for every dollar spent on apprenticeship.
Additionally, apprenticeship programs can benefit entire industries by changing misconceptions that manufacturing lacks career paths and employees work in dark, dirty, and dangerous facilities. Manufacturing careers today are often high-skill, high-tech, and pay more on average than jobs in other industries.
Here in Michigan, we are proud of our strong manufacturing heritage, and the role that apprenticeships continue to play in many of our driving industries. Despite a 12 percent decline in the number of new apprentices because of the pandemic, Michigan remains a top five state in the number of active apprentices nationally (19,397), while helping kickstart 39 new Registered Apprenticeship programs in 2020.
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) has an online apprenticeship job finder that offers access to more than 20,000 open apprenticeships and more than 3,500 organizations in the U.S. in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology. You can find more information about this resource at www.apprenticeship.gov.
From a statewide perspective, the Michigan Works! network assists job seekers and employers with apprenticeships every day. Michigan Works! staff helps connect job seekers with pre-apprenticeship programs for youth and adults, while connecting employers with Apprenticeship Success Coordinators to assist them with developing apprenticeship programs, registering apprenticeship programs with US Department of Labor, and providing application screening and qualified applicant referrals.
You can find more information about the Michigan Works! network and the services offered at www.michiganworks.org.