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Philadelphia Works and ApprenticeshipPHL are proud to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) November 11-17! All weeklong Philadelphia will acknowledge the amazing programs and workforce opportunities produced from the apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship model. This week allows businesses and communities to highlight how they have benefited from apprenticeship programs, and in parallel, provide information to employers and individuals seeking apprenticeship as the first step to a career pathway. 

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is an employer-driven workforce model to build a pipeline of skilled and talented employees across diverse industries. While, historically, people have associated apprenticeship with labor industries such as welding, carpentry, and construction, the model has grown to include healthcare, IT, and even early childhood education. Often, the apprenticeship model is used to leverage talent solutions. Employers report difficulties finding quality skilled employees, and conversely, unskilled employees can find it difficult to earn a sustainable wage while they receive the training they need for the job. The apprenticeship model is mutually beneficial for both the employee and the employer. Employers can groom talent to meet their own specific business needs and build a skilled talent pipeline. Apprentices earn a competitive wage from day one while they receive on the job training, an industry-recognized credential, and a reduction in their education debt. It’s a win-win situation!  

How does Philadelphia Works support apprenticeship programs?

Apprentices help build a stronger workforce in the Philadelphia region. We can help employers build a unique, customizable apprenticeship program that allows them to grow a better, stronger, and more efficient business. We help to fully equip employers with the proper human and capital resources to build, operate, and sustain a valuable apprenticeship program that helps meet the needs of the business.

Philadelphia Works Works Directly With Businesses

Our hands-on approach allows us to support program start-ups by ensuring that employers have the proper documentation to officially register with the state. Additionally, we help to enhance the on-the-job training that supports the unique talent pipeline needs of each business.

Philadelphia Works also supports apprenticeships by providing businesses with a valuable network of partners and collaborators. Partnerships form strategically based on individual needs and can provide solutions for education, training, and recruitment. Local, state, federal, and private agency funding streams, identified through our support services, help decrease the costs of running a program. This ultimately increases an employer’s bottom line. Once funds are secured, we act as a fiscal agent. We help manage those funds properly, adhering to all mandated reporting requirements.

If you think your business might benefit from an apprenticeship program, connect with us during National Apprenticeship Week. To find out how other people around the region, state, and country are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, click here and search the event map: https://bit.ly/2K1j7rr