Four National Fund for Workforce Solutions Communities Funded to Advance Youth Apprenticeship

Louisville, Birmingham, Chicago, and Minneapolis are among nine cities to receive grants from The Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship Launches to expand pathways for high-school youth to succeed in college and careers

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2019 – Four communities in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions’ network have been awarded grants from the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), a multi-stakeholder initiative led by New America. These grants will support partnerships of employers, educators, community partners, and policy leaders who are working together to build high quality youth apprenticeship programs that promote inclusive economic development and create new opportunities for young people.

The four communities were selected from among an extremely competitive pool of over 220 applicants from 49 states and Puerto Rico. The grantees, nine in total, were chosen to represent a diverse set of strategies for launching and expanding high-quality youth apprenticeship programs across different regions and in a range of industries. The grantee recipients in the National Fund network are the following:

• Apprenticeship 502 in Louisville, Kentucky (KentuckianaWorks)
• The Birmingham Promise in Birmingham, Alabama (Central Six AlabamaWorks!)
• Career Launch Chicago in Chicago, Illinois (Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance)

• Twin Cities LEAP Initiative in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Workforce Innovation Network)

Grant funding will support the sites over a 17-month period, beginning in May 2019. Grantees will engage in cross-site learning and receive tailored technical assistance from PAYA national partner organizations and other leading experts in the education, workforce, and policy sectors.

“We are seeing an increased interest in apprenticeship programs across the National Fund’s network,” said Dr. Pamela Howze, director of work-based learning at the National Fund and a partner and technical advisor with PAYA. “Apprenticeship is considered to be the premier, customized workforce development program. It’s good for workers because apprentices are actually paid while they learn and are mentored in the work setting—and their pay increases with experience. It is good for employers because they determine what apprentices learn.”

The grantees will also join the newly-formed PAYA Network, a learning community designed to link high-potential, dynamic partnerships working across the country to launch, expand, and improve apprenticeship opportunities for high school-aged youth. To learn more about the PAYA Network members click here.

Youth apprenticeship transforms how the nation’s education system prepares young people to enter careers and launches them into a successful adulthood through mutually beneficial partnerships across schools, industry, and communities. These partnerships create opportunities for youth apprentices to finish high school, start their postsecondary education at little-to-no cost, complete paid work experience alongside a mentor, and start along a path that broadens their options for the future.

For employers, youth apprenticeship is a cost-effective talent strategy, as apprentices build skills to meet evolving business needs and develop into valued contributors to their bottom line.

About the National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is a national network promoting economic opportunity and prosperous communities through investment and innovation.  Based in Washington D.C., the National Fund partners with philanthropy, employers, workers, public and private community organizations, and more than 30 regional collaboratives to invest in skills, improve workforce systems, and generate good jobs. The National Fund supports civic and business leaders in promoting evidence-based practices and policies that build shared prosperity. Learn more at nationalfund.org

About the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA)

Created by New America, the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to assist innovative organizations around the country in developing robust youth apprenticeship programs that are scaled and replicated to serve students, employers and communities alike. PAYA is comprised of eight National Partner organizations: Advance CTE, CareerWise Colorado, Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship, Education Strategy Group, JFF, the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and the National Governors Association. PAYA is supported by funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ballmer Group, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Joyce Foundation, JP Morgan Chase & Co., and the Siemens Foundation. To learn more, visit newamerica.org/paya.