The 2020 Spring Conference is postponed until September 2020.

MEATA Members,

In the interest of public health, and working under guidelines put forth by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control The MEATA Executive Board has voted to postpone the 2020 Spring Conference.

As we are all in uncharted territory, We are taking actions as recommended by local, state, and federal guidance. These decisions have not been made lightly. These actions are being implemented in order to reduce the community spread of COVID-19. Please refer to the State of Michigan’s guidance for other steps you can take to slow the spread of the virus.

The 2020 Spring Conference in Detroit is postponed until September 2020.

Thank you for your understanding, please be safe.

Kevin Green

MEATA President

Closing the Skills Gap

News Release

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES NEARLY $100 MILLION IN APPRENTICESHIP GRANTS TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP

RALEIGH, NC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the awarding of grants to 28 public-private apprenticeship partnerships totaling nearly $100 million through the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. These grants will support large-scale expansions of apprenticeship in industries including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology.

President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeship in America called for increasing the number of apprentices in the United States across all industries. There are more than 6.4 million job openings reported in the United States and expanding apprenticeships will help individuals gain the skills necessary to fill these vacancies.

"These grants will further the Administration's efforts to expand apprenticeships. For Americans who want an alternative to the traditional bachelor's degree, apprenticeships are a way to learn valuable skills that lead to good paying careers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. "Companies across the country tell me that their greatest challenge today is finding the skilled workers they need. This funding will bolster America's competitiveness by adding more skilled workers to fill millions of open jobs today and in the future."

Secretary Scalia made the announcement during a trip to North Carolina State University, one of the grantees.

The Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program will support the training of more than 92,000 individuals in new or expanded apprenticeship programs for a range of employers, including small and medium-sized businesses, veterans, military spouses, service members re-entering the civilian workforce and groups underrepresented in current apprenticeship programs, including women and Americans reentering the workforce from the justice system.

The grant program supports apprenticeships that include a paid, work-based learning component and a required educational or instructional component that results in the issuance of an industry-recognized credential; and which meet appropriate quality assurance standards.

H-1B fees fund the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. Awards ranging from $500,000 to $6 million each will go to 28 public-private apprenticeship partnerships led by institutions of higher education; state systems of higher education; nonprofit trade, industry, or employer associations; labor unions; or labor-management organizations partnering with businesses ready to train apprentices. This grant program places a heavy emphasis on private sector partnership, with a corresponding 45% match of federal funds awarded.

A list of grantees and award amounts is below:

Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap Grant Awards
Awardee	Headquarter Location	Award Amount
Aerospace Machinist Joint Training Committee	WA	$996,390
AFL-CIO Working for America	DC	$6,000,000
Alamo Community College District	TX	$1,000,000
American Association of Port Authorities	VA	$5,888,738
Argentum	VA	$5,991,235
Arkansas Division of Higher Education	AR	$2,000,000
Arizona Board of Regents, on behalf of Arizona State University	AZ	$1,999,285
Colorado Community College System	CO	$2,000,000
Electrical Training ALLIANCE	MD	$5,998,953
Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association	FL	$6,000,000
Goodwin College Inc.	CT	$2,000,000
H-CAP Inc.	NY	$4,000,000
Idaho State Board of Education	ID	$1,998,139
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana	IN	$3,977,255
Missouri Chamber Foundation	MO	$6,000,000
North Carolina State University	NC	$5,999,799
Oakland Community College	MI	$4,000,000
Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, State of Rhode Island	RI	$1,000,000
Regents of the University of Colorado/UOC-Colorado Springs	CO	$5,996,713
SHRM Foundation Inc.	VA	$972,000
Southern Utah University	UT	$3,977,088
Southwest Tennessee Community College	TN	$998,405
The Regents of the University of California (Davis)	CA	$5,492,408
The Regents of the University of California (Riverside)	CA	$999,501
University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc.	KY	$3,999,999
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	WI	$1,999,961
Wireless Infrastructure Association	VA	$5,997,096
Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Inc.	WI	$1,998,251

Thank You For Attending The Conference

National Apprenticeship Week 2019

National Apprenticeship Week 2019

November 11 – 17, 2019

Thousands of Career Seekers, Sponsors and Stakeholders across the country are committed to sponsor, host and attend events in their city in support of National Apprenticeship week.

Facts about Apprenticeship

· More than 150,000 employers and labor management organizations benefit from apprenticeships.

· FACT: There are over 545,000 apprentices nationwide in more than 1,000 occupations.

· FACT: Nearly 9/10 apprentices are employed after completing their apprenticeship. Average starting salary: $60K+/year.

· FACT: Workers who complete apprenticeship programs earn $300,000 more over a career than their peers who don’t.

· FACT: Apprentices earn while they learn, reducing their need to take on debt.

· For every dollar spent on apprenticeship, employers get approximately $1.50 ROI.

ABOUT NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity for the apprenticeship community to tell the story of apprenticeships and is an invitation to business and industry, education, career seekers, community based organizations, students, and workers to learn about the real world advantages of developing careers through adoption of the apprenticeship model. Apprenticeship is for those who aspire to be great, lead in innovation and creativity, strive to innovate in business and industry, and recognize the value of combining paid on the job learning coupled with a substantial educational component to build generational greatness in careers and commerce.

MEATA's Election Results are In!

The results are in for MEATA's 2019 election! Every officer position was on the ballot for this election, which officially closed at 11:59 pm on Friday, June 7th. All of the votes have been tabulated and here are the winners:

President:	Kevin Green Apprenticeship Manager, Focus: HOPE Detroit, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Vice President:	Annette Norris Education Manager, GoEngineer Pontiac, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Secretary:	Denise Mahoney Pre-Apprenticeship Liaison, Kent ISD Career Technical Center Grand Rapids, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Treasurer:	Gene Keyes Manufacturing Instructor, Schoolcraft College Livonia, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Outreach/Events:	Kevin Chau Apprenticeship Specialist, MI TIA-Workforce Development Lansing, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Business/Labor Rep:	Jamal Al Career Connection Specialist, MI Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights Warren, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
K-12 Rep:	Deb Schultz Career/Success Coach, Orchard View High School Muskegon, MI E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Congrats to MEATA's new leadership team and thanks to all of the MEATA members who cast their ballots.

MEATA's 2019 Spring Apprenticeship Conference

Theme: Trailblazing New Apprenticeship Models

May 21-24, 2019

GVSU's L.V. Eberhard Center, Grand Rapids MI

The 2019 MEATA Spring Apprenticeship Conference is over. We dug into the details of offering non-traditional apprenticeships in Health, IT, Public Services, and more while maintaining the high standards set in traditional manufacturing and construction apprenticeships. The conference offered opportunities, ideas and strategies, while being realistic about the obstacles that are faced by these new models. Attendees heard about new programs, prospects, and success stories to fuel their inspiration and learn about exciting work in the apprenticeship arena.

Session topics included:

Culinary Apprenticeships - What's Cooking?
Apprenticeships in Healthcare
National Occupational Frameworks for Competency-Based Apprenticeships
WorkHands: Blue Collar Tech for Apprenticeship & Professional Trades
To Be or Not to Be An Intermediary
Developing the Pipeline: Innovations in Pre-Apprenticeship

...and LOTS more!

PDF versions of many of the presentations given at the conference can be downloaded here!

Gaston College offers the first college or university-sponsored DOL-approved Registered Apprenticeship program

Gaston College in North Carolina now offers the first college or university-sponsored apprenticeship program in the United States approved by the US Department of Labor. The Apprenticeship 321 program is now working with 15 employers in manufacturing and healthcare. Career pathways include paramedic medicine and nursing assistant along with machine operator and industrial electrician.

Read the full article from the Charlotte Business Journal.

Project Lead The Way Launches Engineering Youth Apprenticeship Pilot

The US Department of Labor and the non-profit Project Lead The Way (PLTW) have partnered to launch a pilot youth apprenticeship program in engineering. Kicking off in Charleston, SC, the pilot offers two pathways to meet the needs of students with different career goals. One pathway is referred to as an Engineering Assistant program and is geared toward students who plan to ultimately pursue a four-year engineering degree. The other pathway is referred to as an Engineering Technician program, which is designed for students who prefer an apprenticeship experience that is more hands-on and have the goal to get an associate degree and start their career earlier.

Read the full article here!