Workforce Development Program Apprenticeship

The Beginning

Changing Landscape – New Emphasis on Apprenticeships:

President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act into law in July of 2014. In his State of the Union Address:

“Train Americans with the skills employers need, and match them with good jobs that need to be filled right now. That means more on-the-job training and more apprenticeships.”

  • California State University Commission on the Extended University Grant Award

  • 3 campus collaboration – CSU Los Angeles, CSU Long Beach and Sacramento State

  • Several needs assessment activities to understand skill gaps and desired competencies

Connecting Partners/Developing a Pilot

Sacramento Employment Training Agency (SETA)  and – Seeking Professional Development Strategies

  • Increase quality/capacity; standardize knowledge, skills, and abilities required of staff

  • Identify career pathway for staff and competencies to be attained for promotion

Participated in “focus group” for CSU Workforce Professional grant
Discussions with Division of Apprenticeship Standards – Sacramento pilot

  • Local Education Agency – Butte County Office of Education

  • Program Sponsor – California Workforce Association

  • Employer – SETA and other local Boards

  • Employee Representative – AFSCME Local 146

Why Statewide Apprenticeship Model?

  • There has been a call from California Workforce Association Members & Statewide stakeholders to formalize industry wide workforce staff training

  • Compared to other stakeholders our system standards are not consistent

  • WIOA/current economy calls for new competencies

  • Succession planning is key topic

  • California Workforce Association has had success with its WIOA Executive Bootcamp

Return on Investment

  • Benefit to Employees – Certificate, advancement, and increase in wages and marketability upon completion

  • Benefit to Employer – Trained workforce (including WIOA), improved customer service, higher quality/productivity, improved employee relations

  • Benefit to the California Workforce Development System – high quality standards for workforce development professionals, consistent and on-going training for employees and AJCC partners, improved customer service

Informational Webinar

More Information

    • Must satisfactorily complete prescribed courses of related and supplemental instructions which consist of 144 class hours in total [132 hours of class instruction & 12 additional hours outside of class to prepare their capstone presentation.]

    • Class time is during regular work hours and will be compensated*.

    • On the job training of up to 2080 hours within 24 month period is required. All hours worked must be logged and submitted in a timely manner.

    *Compensation is based on Apprenticeship Program only.

    Earn & Learn

    Half of all class time will be during work hours. Unlike academic classes, where you must spend 2 hours outside class for each hour in class, our certificated program is class-based, without the extra study time requirement.

  • Classwork will consist of lectures, small group projects, discussion groups, and an original project at the end of the program that demonstrates competencies in the areas of the Workforce Development.

    “One of the key aspects of this program is that seasoned as well as new staff are gaining the ability to ‘connect the dots’ on the workforce industry,” Lanter explained, “learning how workforce boards and America’s Job Centers of California were created, learning key techniques to improve their jobs, as well as leadership, project management, presentation and facilitation skills that make them better employees.” – Bob Lanter (pictured above), co-creator & instructor in the Workforce Development Professional Apprenticeship Program & the Executive Director of the California Workforce Association (CWA)

    Meet the rest of Sacramento State CCE’s line up of recruited workforce industry leaders and subject-matter experts, several are returning instructors from the 1st Sacramento cohort.

  • View the Apprentice Ship Program Curriculum for more details.

FAQs

  • Apprentices are current staff of workforce boards, AJCCs, service/youth providers and other workforce stakeholders.  In the future, we would hope that apprentices would come from other from the public who are interested in becoming workforce development professionals

  • Currently the program is being funded from a combination of support from the California Community College Chancellor’s Apprenticeship Initiative, funding from over 6 local workforce boards, as well Related Supplemental Income (RSI).

  • The cost of the current program is estimated at $80-100K, plus the incremental wage increase.  This is based on a cohort of 25 students.  The cost of the tuition for classroom training is $4,000 per student.  Incremental wage increase is negotiated separately by each employer.

  • Yes the curriculum if fully portable and virtual.  The curriculum can be shared with the  CSU partners, LA and LB for Southern California delivery and you have a copy of the courses, their descriptions and the learning objectives.

  • Trainees are partially paid wages while in training.  The classes are held Friday afternoon and one weeknight.  Wages are paid on Friday.

  • Yes eventually the certificate program will be open to the public including new hires.  The apprenticeship program is an additional set of organizational requirements.

  • Probably not although this has not fully been explored.

  • No ETP funds cannot be used due to the employers being mostly non-profit, government or educational entities.  However, other funds can be explored in terms of funding the program