It was recently reported from the U.S. Bureau of Labor a new record 4.4 million people left their jobs in September and with the pandemic playing a significant role in the current skilled worker shortage and many Americans leaving the workforce or switching industries companies in Florida are scrambling for ways to fill skilled positions and build local talent pools. Many businesses are realizing that apprenticeships provide a great way to provide people with more meaningful careers that will help provide participants with the industry skills needed to succeed.
“The apprentice programs invest in you as you go along. The amount of hours that they put in is amazing. When you come out of it you have the training, you have a skill that will serve you for a lifetime, “says Brenda McKenzie, the Director of Workforce Partnerships and Specials Projects for the City of Tampa. She says the apprentice programs help train the next generation of labor workers without a college degree. Right now, there are opportunities to learn and train to be a plumber, carpenter, child development specialist, electrician, and more. Before joining the program, Nicole Wright-Coker worked in food service and thought something like this was never attainable to her. Wright-Coker is an apprentice with IBEW and works for A & E Electric. She says there are a lot of benefits to the apprenticeship program including getting both the in-class instruction and the hands-on training.”
The apprenticeship model’s success has proven to many businesses in the area they are a great investment. Implementing these kinds of programs will only help improve the productivity of your company. Apprenticeship programs provide training and skill development that will help serve its participants for a full span career and cities like Tampa are taking steps to expand and diversify these programs across the state. Earlier this year the city passed an ordinance that ensures contractors in the area who work on projects worth more than $1 million will give to set aside at least 12 percent of their labor hours for state-registered apprenticeship programs.
Read more here: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/state-wide-apprenticeship-program-helps-job-seekers-find-a-new-career
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