Shapiro touts support of apprenticeships at expo

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Gov. Josh Shapiro told stakeholders working to strengthen apprenticeship and workforce development opportunities that his administration is committed to supporting their efforts. 

Speaking at the 2023 ApprenticeshipPA Collaborative and Expo in Hershey Monday, Shapiro kicked off National Apprenticeship Week by sharing his comprehensive plan to invest in apprenticeship programs, expand vo-tech, and bring career and technical education back into Pennsylvania classrooms, which he addressed in his inaugural budget address. 

“I’m excited to be here in Hershey to kickoff National Apprenticeship Week and recognize the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association‘s work and the work of its local partners who help create real opportunity all across our Commonwealth,” Shapiro told members of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association and the PA Association of Career and Technical Administrators. “I believe that Pennsylvania should be a place where every person and every worker has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.” 

Shapiro said an apprenticeship is a fast track to a good-paying, stable job, and an effective way to build a crucial talent pipeline that connects high schools to the workforce.  

The 2023-24 budget includes $23.5 million to prepare more students for skilled careers, $6 million in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programming, and an additional $3.5 million to fund the Schools-to-Work Program to develop and expand career pathways for high school students via partnerships between schools, employers, organizations, and the Commonwealth. 

In July, Shapiro signed an Executive Order creating the Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Program (CWTP), a first-in-the-nation job training program that provides workforce development grants for companies and organizations working on infrastructure projects funded by President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or the Inflation Reduction Act to receive up to $40,000 for each new worker they train. The CWTP is expected to support as many as 10,000 new jobs.  

The PA Workforce Development Association brings together all 22 Pennsylvania local workforce development boards, program service providers, education and training partners, and local leaders each year to discuss apprenticeship programs and how to create a talent pipeline that supports workforce development across the Commonwealth. 

“There are incredible models for apprentice programs throughout our Commonwealth, and we’re excited to bring together leaders in apprenticeship initiatives to hear from Governor Shapiro,” said Carrie Amann, executive director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association. “Governor Shapiro and his Administration have created a robust workforce development agenda to help job seekers, workers, and employers.” 

Amann continued. “As the Commonwealth invests in workforce development, we must strengthen the pathway into apprenticeship programs and help organizations – from academic institutions to industry – form and sustain viable training pathways for workers.”