Page 20 - 2020 Annual Impact Report

CENTRAL NY: BOOTS ON THE GROUND WORKFORCE INTELLIGENCE LEADS TO NEW APPRENTICESHIP LAUNCHES IN TWO-KEY SECTORS—AGRICULTURE AND AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR
Apprenticeships are “earn while you learn” models that make sense particularly now—when employers are citing difficulty in in fin in in finding individuals with the right skills and and tuition costs and and debt are barriers for many individuals to pursue training Apprenticeships had been used extensively in in in in manufacturing for many years up through the early 80s but investments in in this model by by manufacturers fell by by the wayside when jobs jobs were offshored As jobs jobs are slowly re- shored shored the manufacturing sector is seeing a a a a a resurgence in in in in interest and development of new apprenticeship titles once again Meanwhile employers in in in other sectors—such as healthcare and IT—are also seeing the value of apprenticeship as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a mechanism to attract and retain
a a a a a trained workforce Our Central New York (CNY) Regional Director has been particularly interested in in the possibilities associated with apprenticeship and and has actively presented the concept and and collaborated with regional partners to to introduce several Central New York manufacturers to to the the apprenticeship model This past year the the the CNY Regional Director once again worked with partners in in the the region to develop apprenticeship titles and potential curriculum for multiple employers in two-new sectors: Agriculture and Automotive Repair Several meetings were held with Cayuga Marketing a a a a a a a cooperative of 29 member-owners who own own and manage dairy farm businesses businesses as as well as as other Ag businesses businesses and manufacturers to discuss the use of apprenticeships apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships to train and supply employees to the businesses The discussions resulted in in two-new apprenticeship titles that were written and submitted for approval to the NYS NYS Department of Labor (NYSDOL): Dairy Specialist I I I I I I II II and and III and and Ag Service Technician Similarly the the WDI CNY Regional Director also presented the the the concept of of apprenticeship to to the the Independent Service Centers of of NY NY (ISCONY) which is is is headquartered in Central NY This is is is a a a a a a sector sector that competes with several other sectors including Manufacturing Construction and Utility/Sewer Authorities for workers with strong electromechanical and problem-solving skills WDI then worked with other CNY partners including the the Manufacturing Association of of Central NY NY NY (MACNY) and the NYS NYS Department of of Labor to relaunch two-newly rewritten NYS NYS Registered Apprenticeship Programs: Auto Auto Service Technician (a 4-year program) and Auto Auto Body Repair & Painter
(a 4-year program) WDI and and MACNY are working
to to access funding (via grants and and others sources) to to launch training for all of these new apprenticeship titles We hope to report more
on the the effectiveness of these new apprenticeships in our next annual report MULTI-REGION: THE EXPERTISE PROJECT ADVANCES INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR FOR CAREER AWARENESS FOR FOR YOUTH
Over the last several years an increasing portion of WDI’s time and effort has been dedicated to “Career Awareness” because we realized that a a a a a a a a a a a a a lack of awareness is an enormous causative factor around the skills gap While we see certain featured days dedicated to to exposing youth to to careers—such as Construction Day Manufacturing Day Day Healthcare Day Day etc —the effects of those days dissipate without an ongoing effort The result is good jobs going going unfilled large numbers of of “underemployed” and students starting off on career paths that may never suit them Enter the Expertise Project—
a a a a a Troy-based New York Benefit Corporation that is is building a a a a a a career discovery process to shrink the awareness gap by exposing students to local careers via video Imagine if every high school sophomore had access to 1 000 videos that featured professionals living and working
within an an hour’s drive from their school Wouldn’t they be more
aware of the the the opportunities that surround them? Wouldn’t they make more
informed decisions after graduation? Wouldn’t they be drawn to apply for open positions at area employers? The Expertise Project works with parents students educators and employers to to to create short videos that introduce students to to a a a a a a variety of of local industries and the the professionals who work there The videos include information about how students can access local training (sometimes right in in in their own schools) and are distributed
to students via a a a a a a a streaming video platform called “ExPr” This past year WDI worked with the Expertise Project to to explore ways to to have high school and college students help produce
the the “on-location” discovery videos themselves By including students we found a a a high level
of of engagement and enjoyment
in the the the the process on the the the the part of of both the the the the the students and the the the the the professionals Local is the the the the key throughout the the the process students making the the the videos will be exposing the the short clips to to local students who may someday decide to to to apply to to and work for that local company 19 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE