In honor of the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Apprenticeship Week, November 13-19, the West Virginia Community and Technical College System is highlighting the success of the Apprenticeships in Motion grant.
The Community and Technical College System of West Virginia’s (WVCTCS) Apprenticeships in Motion (AIM) program, made possible by a nearly $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, prepares students and incumbent workers for middle- to high-skilled information technology (IT) occupations that are in increasingly high demand across the Mountain State. AIM partners with businesses and colleges to provide students and current employees with an “earn as you learn” experience. Through these connections, companies and organizations tap into a trusted talent pool, reduce the cost of onboarding, cultivate dedicated employees, and address their present skills gap.
The AIM grant has worked with 230 businesses to train over 1,200 IT professionals, including current employees and WVCTCS students. AIM’s goal is to train a total of 1600 people so that they can enter or move into middle- to high-level IT jobs. In addition to traditional IT training, AIM provides training for Medical Records/Health Information Technicians and Architectural/Civil Drafters. The grant’s end date is July 14, 2024, so time is limited to take advantage of this IT workforce solution.
Some benefits of the program include:
– Employers may be eligible for 50% wage reimbursement for each apprentice
– Courses and customized training provided by one of West Virginia’s nine community and technical colleges
– Funding available to cover up-skilling of current employees or for tuition and fees of a degree-seeking student
– Businesses take control of growing their talent by developing a workforce pipeline and securing a competitive advantage in attracting new hires
– Apprenticeships allow the business and student to get to know each other; think of it as an on-the-job interview
– Apprentices learn specific IT skills and gain experience that a company requires to help the company thrive
– For every $1 spent on apprenticeships, employers get an average of $1.47 back in increased productivity, reduced waste, and greater front-line innovation (U.S. Department of Labor)
– 94% of apprentices stay on with their apprenticeship employer (U.S. Department of Labor)
– Apprenticeships improve productivity, reduce turnover, and diversify an employer’s workforce (U.S. Department of Labor)
Contacts
WVCTCS AIM State Project Director: Dr. Travis Miller, tmiller@wvctcs.edu, website – wvctcs.org/aim
Blue Ridge CTC: Amber Butcher, ABUTCHER@blueridgectc.edu
BridgeValley CTC: Christina Johnson, christina.johnson@bridgevalley.edu
Eastern WV CTC: Megan Webb, Megan.Webb@easternwv.edu
Mountwest CTC: Julie Hazelett, Hazelett10@mctc.edu
New River CTC: Charles Bowles, cbowles@newriver.edu
Pierpont CTC: Nancy Ligus, nligus@pierpont.edu
Southern WV CTC: Judith Runyon, judith.runyon@southernwv.edu
WV Northern CC: Phil Klein, pklein@wvncc.edu
WVU Parkersburg: Sam Copen, scopen@wvup.edu