07.12.22

Cantwell Heralds Six Washington State Partners Chosen to be National Apprenticeship Ambassadors

Partners will work with Dept. of Labor to improve apprenticeship programs, giving more Washingtonians a path to good jobs in high-demand industries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, six Washington state workforce development organizations were chosen by the Department of Labor (DOL) to join the inaugural group of Apprenticeship Ambassadors, a program created through the DOL to promote, expand, and diversify apprenticeships to grow the U.S. workforce.

The following six organizations were chosen to serve as Apprenticeship Ambassadors from Washington state:

Organization Name

City

Apprenti

Issaquah

ApprenticePath

Redmond

Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Employment for Women (ANEW)

Renton

Microsoft

Redmond

Spokane Community College

Spokane

The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture

Spokane

According to the Department of Labor, in FY 2021, Washington state had 17,676 active apprentices across 239 active apprenticeship programs. In that same year, 2,758 apprentices completed their training and 7,027 new apprentices started their programs.

In November 2021, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative to bring together industry, labor, education, equity and workforce leaders to partner with the department’s Office of Apprenticeship to promote Registered Apprenticeships as a valuable workforce strategy in high-demand industries to develop and expand opportunities for people historically underserved.

The DOL Apprenticeship Ambassador program will consist of community based organizations, educators, employers, equity partners, industry associations, labor organizations, State organizations, program sponsors, and workforce partners.

Sen. Cantwell has been a champion for apprenticeship programs and investments for workforce development opportunities. In 2017, Sen. Cantwell introduced bipartisan legislation to create strong incentives for businesses who invest in apprenticeship programs that would benefit both employers and workers.

The full list of Apprenticeship Ambassadors is available HERE.

Read about the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative and submit an application to become an ambassador HERE.

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