USDA, DOL Launch Nation’s First Federal Sponsored Student Apprenticeship Program in Partnership with Tuskegee University

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2024 - Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), in partnership with Tuskegee University, are announcing the launch of the nation's first federal sponsored Student Apprenticeship Program. The new program aims to increase the talent pipeline for USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) and provide students with practical job experience.<_o3a_p>

"This apprenticeship is a groundbreaking initiative that will boost career readiness for students from underrepresented communities," said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. "By aligning with the USDA's commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion, this initiative opens new pathways for students to gain valuable experience and strengthen their chances of securing federal positions and as a DOL Registered Apprenticeship Program, it will provide technical training and professional development to prepare exceptional workers to serve American agriculture."<_o3a_p>

Under the program, apprentices will participate in orientation, technical training, and onsite work experience at an AMS facility. Apprentices who complete the program will receive the equivalent of two years of academic training, a DOL Registered Apprenticeship certificate and a college degree.<_o3a_p>

"Through this partnership with Tuskegee University, the Department of Labor's Registered Apprenticeship Program will help connect students to the training and skills needed to expand equitable access to federal employment," said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez. "This initiative advances the department's commitment to help build a qualified, diverse, and inclusive workforce."<_o3a_p>

AMS has collaborated with Tuskegee University for several years through the Student Enrichment Program (SEP) to help students gain meaningful work experience, technical training, and the potential to launch successful careers as commodity graders within the USDA.<_o3a_p>

This effort reimagines the Student Enrichment Program by leveraging the Executive Order on Scaling and Expanding Use of Registered Apprenticeships and the United States Office of Personnel Management's newly expanded Pathways Internship Program eligibility requirements. The AMS program is the first federally sponsored program to partner with an historically black college and university (HBCU) under the new OPM Pathways guidance.<_o3a_p>

For more information about the National Student Apprenticeship Program, contact Retention Lead Rupert Richards in AMS' Office of the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at [email protected]. <_o3a_p>

AMS administers programs that create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. AMS also provides the agriculture industry with valuable services to ensure the quality and availability of wholesome food for consumers across the country and globally. AMS services and its significant grant investments create opportunities by supporting American farmers, ranchers and businesses across the supply chain, and drive economic development in small towns and rural communities.

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USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news.

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