Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) recently today announced the availability of $450,000 in PAsmart grant funding to support the expansion of registered pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships throughout the Commonwealth. The «PAsmart Supporting Apprenticeship Building through Registered Apprenticeship Programs» grant will reinforce the state’s apprenticeship pipeline through existing partnerships and develop new pathways for registered apprenticeships across Pennsylvania.
«By investing in our apprenticeship infrastructure, we’re not only addressing the current needs of our workforce but also building a sustainable system for future growth,» said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. «This grant opportunity will help us build a stronger talent pipeline and engage businesses in creating more apprenticeship opportunities for Pennsylvanians.”
Since Governor Josh Shapiro took office, L&I has supported the creation of more than 55 new registered apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania and enrolled nearly 10,000 new apprentices. The Shapiro Administration is working hard to promote these opportunities to historically underserved populations because apprenticeship is a career pathway to family-sustaining wages without the crippling burden of debt.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that, on average, apprentices earn a starting wage of $80,000 per year after graduation and are on track to earn $300,000 more over their careers compared to workers who do not graduate from an apprenticeship program. For every dollar spent on apprenticeships, employers get an average of $1.47 back in increased productivity.
For this grant, one award of up to $450,000 will be issued to support the development of two cohorts of local and regional apprenticeship networks over a two-year period. This initiative plans to train a minimum of 40 individuals to reach journey worker status as Apprenticeship Navigators.
Established in 2016, the Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) at L&I currently supports 877 unduplicated registered apprenticeship program sponsors and 1,556 occupation-specific programs across the Commonwealth, with 15,935 active registered apprentices. Additionally, there are 121 registered pre-apprenticeship programs and 1,166 pre-apprentices currently active.
Eligible grant applicants include awardees from previous Ambassador Networks NGAs released in December 2019 and August 2021. The grant performance period will be January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026.
The application deadline is October 18, 2024 at 4 PM. Interested applicants can find more information and application materials on the L&I Grants website. A bidder’s conference will be held on September 24, 2024 at 1 PM to provide additional details and answer questions from potential applicants.
For more information about apprenticeship opportunities in Pennsylvania, visit www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Workforce-Development/apprenticeship.
