Newport News Shipbuilding (retired) & AME Management Team, marsh8279@aol.com
There were 6 million open jobs in the United States in April, a record high, according to data released by the Labor Department. It comes at a time when 6.8 million unemployed Americans are looking for a job. Eighty percent of manufacturing executives reported they are willing to pay more than the market rates, still six out of ten positions remain unfilled due to the talent shortage.
To address these challenges Ivanka Trump and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta are launching “workforce development week” with an emphasis on apprenticeships – programs in which people learn skills from experienced workers while getting paid.
This includes training for ‘new collar’ technology jobs where a traditional four-year degree is not always required. This initiative is meant to encourage apprenticeships and promote career paths that do not involve traditional four-year colleges.
Apprenticeship can revitalize whole communities by bringing well-paying jobs to a diverse untapped talent pool, and has a proven success rate at decreasing youth unemployment in countries with strong apprenticeship systems like Germany and Switzerland. Nearly nine out of ten apprentices are employed after completing their apprenticeships, with an average starting wage of more than $60,000 per year.
It’s no secret that when U.S. manufacturing companies want to start apprenticeship programs, they often look to Europe, where the apprenticeship model is an established part of the work culture. To that end, the U.S. departments of Commerce, Labor and Education are committed to informal idea-sharing with Switzerland to collaborate on apprenticeships.
This collaboration will provide a framework for the two countries to cooperate in such areas as work-based training, curriculum development, credential recognition, pathways to career development and the expansion of programs into new industry sectors.
Switzerland vocational training system prepares students for a wide range of careers to better meet market demands. Swiss students make a career choice as early as eighth grade. At age 15 or 16, the teens begin to plan their future career. Two-thirds of Switzerland’s youth at that age do not opt for college, but for a career in a specific professional field as an apprentice.
America is not without its successful Apprenticeship programs. Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Apprentice School founded in 1919 is the preeminent apprenticeship program in the nation and offers four-, five-, and eight-year apprenticeships in 19 shipbuilding disciplines and eight advanced programs of study. This program offers apprentices a debt free education with the opportunity to earn college credit, receive competitive pay and benefit from learning skills leading to rewarding careers.
A successful national program is ApprenticeshipUSA . It offers employers in every industry the tools to develop a highly skilled workforce to help grow their business. For workers, ApprenticeshipUSA offers opportunities to earn a salary while learning the skills necessary to succeed in high-demand careers.
Whether you are an employer looking to hire, train or retain a skilled workforce, or a worker looking for a new career in a well-paying occupation the ApprenticeshipUSA program exemplifies high standards, instructional rigor and quality training for your future.
