President Obama Challenges All Americans to Obtain the Skills and Education Needed to Succeed in Today's Economy! Obama lists Registered Apprenticeship as a critical education and training option
In recent remarks regarding the efforts underway through the Recovery Act to help stimulate the economy, President Obama again stressed the need for all Americans to seek additional education and/or training for 21 st Century careers.
"Right now, someone who doesn't have a college degree is more than twice as likely to be unemployed as someone who does," said Obama. "And so many of the Americans who have lost their jobs can't find new ones because they simply don't have the skills and the training they need for the jobs they want. In a 21st century economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, education is the single best bet we can make, not just for our individual success, but for the success of the nation as a whole."
During the remarks the President again highlighted Registered Apprenticeship as a critical education and training option:
"And to that end, I have asked once again every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. It can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship."
The president also announced the launch of Opportunity.gov, a joint Department of Labor and Department of Education Web site, aimed at helping unemployed workers find out more on the training programs and financial support available to them through Recovery Act and other efforts aimed at assisting dislocated workers.
For more information visithttp://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/opportunity/index.html
Secretary Solis Discusses Unemployment & Highlights Role of Apprenticeship in Training for Growing Industries
On Friday, May 8th Secretary Solis was featured on CNN Newsroom to discuss the latest Unemployment Report. During her interview with CNN's Betty Nguyen the Secretary discussed the latest jobs report, the economy and job opportunities in emerging industries. While job losses remain high in certain sectors, Secretary Solis was optimistic about the Department's ongoing job training efforts (grant opportunities discussed below) in growing industries, including green technologies, IT and Health Care.
The Secretary also highlighted Registered Apprenticeship, encouraging people to, "…start investigating what kinds of programs are out there at the community college, vocational schools and also apprenticeship programs."
To see the Secretary's full interview, click here.
ETA Announces Plans to Award Green Job Training Funds On May 15, 2009, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) issued Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 44-08,"American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Competitive Grants for Green Job Training," to help provide guidance on the use of these funds for "Green Job Training."
TEN 44-08 is a great resource to help you and your workforce and apprenticeship counterparts learn more on the goals and expectations for "Green Job Training." You'll find information on ETA's strategic vision, and the potential funding opportunities this critical Recovery Act funding provides, including: State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants, Energy Training Partnership Grants, Pathways Out of Poverty Grants, State Sector Training Grants, and Green Capacity Building Grants.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides $750 million for grants to help train and place workers in high growth and emerging industries - $500 million of which is to be used to train workers in green industries, including the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.
Click here to access TEN 44-08.
Also, be sure to refer back to Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 14-08 (also highlighted in ELS Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 3) to learn more on how Registered Apprenticeship can be a viable training option for Recovery Act activities. Areas where Registered Apprenticeship is highlighted include: - References: Registered Apprenticeship TEGL 02-07 (p. 2)
- Emphasis of Note for Recovery Act: Green Jobs (p. 7)
- Allowable Activities for WIA Adult funds (p. 10)
- Recommended strategies for WIA Adult funds (p. 11)
- Recommended strategies for WIA Dislocated Worker funds (p. 14)
- Training Activities for WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs (p. 16)
- WIA Youth Program:
a. Meaningful work experience (p. 27)
b. Green work experience (p. 29)
c. Connections to registered apprenticeship (p. 29) - WIA State Plan for PY 2009
a. Overarching state strategies (p. 43)
b. Service Delivery Strategies, Support for Training (p. 43) Access the full TEGL here: TEGL 14-08. |
