District of Columbia, Employment Services Agency Celebrate DC Apprenticeship Week

(WASHINGTON, DC)
- On Monday, November 18 the District of Columbia and the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES) kicked off a week-long District of Columbia Apprenticeship Week celebration in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor's National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). NAW is a nationwide celebration where employers, industry representatives, labor organizations, community-based organizations, workforce partners, educational institutions, and Federal, State, and Local government agencies host events to showcase the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeship for strengthening the US economy.

"DOES has worked for years to ensure Washingtonians have access to high-quality job training for some of the most important careers of the future, " said DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes."Our relentless commitment to District residents to provide these opportunities open gateways that can lead to economic prosperity." The Office of Apprenticeship, Information and Training (OAIT), administered by DOES, oversees the apprenticeship system in the District of Columbia. The Bowser Administration has invested over 49 million dollars into apprenticeship programs in the District.

DOES has held various Youth Apprenticeship signing days with the U.S. Department of Labor and introduced the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Public Service Program, a groundbreaking partnership between Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia that provides year-long apprenticeships to 30 newly graduated seniors within 11 DC government agencies, starting immediately after graduation. Last year, OAIT connected over 850 District residents in all eight wards with apprenticeships at over 300 businesses, trade unions, and employers.

The theme for NAW 2024 is "National Apprenticeship Week 2024: Celebrating 10 Years of Engagement, Expansion, and Innovation." This theme reflects the transformative power of Registered Apprenticeship and its ability to bring together key national, regional, state, and local stakeholders across the country to meet critical workforce needs. Apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, teaching workers the practical and theoretical aspects of highly skilled occupations. Apprenticeship programs are sponsored by employers, labor groups, and employer associations.

Since NAW's inception in 2014, Registered Apprenticeship has gained increased recognition as a tool to create the highly skilled workforce necessary to modernize our country's infrastructure, build clean energy technologies, address cybersecurity threats, and build a stronger care economy while also creating essential on-ramps for job seekers to enter robust career pathways. The collective outreach of partners helps broaden public awareness of Registered Apprenticeship, and the dedicated efforts to expand the National Apprenticeship System have led the system to grow from 360,000 active apprentices in 2015 to 660,000 today. Since 2015, nearly 23,000 registered Apprenticeship programs have been created by industry partners and over 2.3 million new apprentices have joined.

DC residents interested in learning more about apprenticeships can visit apprenticeship.does.dc.gov.

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