California Receives a $10 Million Grant to Diversify Apprenticeships

The U.S Department of Labor has announced that around $10 million has been awarded to the California State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity, and Innovation. The money will allow the state to continue initiatives that help promote diversity within their programs as well as expand the apprenticeship program as a whole.

“The grant will help support DIR and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards’ (DAS) efforts to expand equity in apprenticeships to non-traditional industries by creating new ways to engage with employers, academic institutions, and workforce development organizations. This grant supports the following goals: The funds awarded will be used to foster regional collaborations in specific industries, such as the Inland Empire Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Consortium pilot program that launched this past May. The initiative addresses the 56% vacancy rate for cybersecurity jobs in the Inland Empire to fill the 70,000 cybersecurity vacancies throughout the state”

 The state hopes that this grant will help create more career opportunities and on top of that give companies the chance to develop and diversify their talent pool. The grant also will help to build upon the existing apprenticeship model that establishes solid training that can create a pathway to respectable careers. 

Read full article here: https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2021/2021-79.html