Chamber hosts forum on apprenticeships
The Vacaville Chamber of Commerce hosted a business issues forum on Wednesday at Travis Credit Union to discuss workforce development and apprenticeships in the wake of massive job losses across Solano County.
Laura Thompson of the State of California's Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) presented on Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to generate 500,000 apprenticeship roles before 2029.
As of now, the state has 90,000+ registered apprentices in the program, and 21,000 have graduated. Some 36,000 employers across the state participate in 1,295 training programs and more than 300 educational institutions.
"We are really working hard for that goal," Thompson said.
The DAS registers and oversees apprenticeship programs and administers state funding. The U.S Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship oversees federal programs without recognition by a state-level apprenticeship agency.
Traditional apprenticeship sectors in California include building, construction and firefighting, Thompson said. Stakeholders in an apprenticeship program include employers, educators, government entities, community organizations and other intermediaries.
"Registration is always encouraged, and it really does open programs up for funding," she added.
Thompson said she is passionate about helping employers and apprentices put together all the ingredients necessary for success. She advocated an "earn and learn model" with clear expectations and free supplemental instruction.
"People actually stay longer when that investment is made in them," she said.
An apprentice earns $300,000 more over the course of their life than if they had not undertaken the 1-2 year program, Thompson said. She said programs can be time-based, competency-based, or a hybrid model, and they can last as little as six months or one day.
Thompson said DAS walks employers through every step of the way when building an internship program. Benefits to employers include employee loyalty, trust and confidence, increased efficiency and performance, a decreased turnover rate, customizable training, and proven return on investments. She said that ultimately, apprenticeship programs can be designed by employers for their organization's unique needs.
"This is really your say in how they are trained and what you want them to be trained in," she said.
Matt Pulsipher said there is room for growth in apprenticeships in every sector in the city, including biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
Pulsipher said he had hoped to bring a representative from Travis AFB to the event to present on the Skillbridge program, which allows service members to use their last 100 days in the military doing on-the-job training for civilian work. However, changes under the Trump Administration have put an end to military presentations to the public about the program.
The military continues to pay the salary, pension and benefits of the departing servicemember through the duration of the program, Pulsipher said. He said he participated in the free-for-servicemembers program at the end of his time stationed at Travis Air Force Base, working as an intern for a government agency in San Francisco.
"That led to a job," he said. "It led to multiple job offers."
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