National Stakeholders and Foundations Announce Apprenticeship Forward National Conference in May 2017

Following several years of new attention and expanded state and federal support, apprenticeships in the United States are growing and innovating in unprecedented ways. For example, the number of registered apprentices nationwide is approaching 500,000, up from just under 400,000 in early 2014.  Nevertheless, the work of extending apprenticeship to more industries and diversifying the range of youth and working adults who have access to these earn-and-learn opportunities has only just begun. 

To continue this momentum, a number of national workforce, education, industry, foundation and public agency leaders are working together to organize a national convening about the current and future status of apprenticeship in the U.S. 

The Apprenticeship Forward conference will take place on May 4-5, 2017 in Washington, DC, drawing on stakeholders from across the apprenticeship system – including industry associations and employers; unions and labor-management partnerships; community-based organizations; community colleges; high schools; and workforce boards—as well as policymakers from the new administration, the 115th Congress, and state governments from throughout the country.

The event is being developed through a unique collaboration between key national stakeholders, including National Skills Coalition, New America, Advance CTE, AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, National Association of Workforce Boards, National Fund for Workforce Solutions, National Governors Association, and Urban Institute. Other national partners will soon be added to fill out the planning committee.  The event is being organized at the initiation of a number of national foundations, including Annie E. Casey Foundation, Joyce Foundation, The JPB Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Siemens Foundation. 

The conference will focus on three critical challenges facing the expansion of apprenticeship:  increasing industry engagement across a range of sectors and firms; addressing equity while diversifying the apprenticeship pipeline; and designing and implementing new public policies that can take apprenticeship to scale. Apprenticeship Forward will feature engaging plenaries and breakout panels, as well as interactive discussions between attendees about their apprenticeship efforts within specific industries and well as with specific groups of students and prospective workers

Conference participants will work to:

• Sustain the momentum of a broad range of apprenticeship investment and interest through to the next administration and new Congress;
  
• Provide the opportunities to new and existing stakeholders in the apprenticeship field to hear from experts;
• Facilitate peer learning among stakeholders in the same industries, working to engage underrepresented populations, and advocating for public policies to support this work; and
• Strengthen networks at both the state and federal levels, building on existing strengths and redefining the apprenticeship field.

Registration will open in January 2017. Apprenticeship Forward will be hosted at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Please mark your calendar and join us this May in Washington, DC!