12 A NEW INITIATIVE: APPRENTICESHIP UTAH Utah is recognized as business-friendly for many reasons, such as the economic outlook and an educated workforce. But as the U.S. ages, older workers retire and graduating high school seniors continue to opt for something other than learning a trade. Old solutions and strategies have become ineffective, and too many job openings for skilled work go unfilled. The Rural Water Association (RWAU), which consists of public and private water and wastewater systems in cities and municipalities, noticed a big gap in the number of workers retiring as opposed to the number of new employees it was able to hire. To help fill this gap, RWAU worked with the Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship and Workforce Services to set up two apprenticeship programs and now serves as an intermediary between potential apprentices and its membership base by providing classroom instruction and support throughout the process. Business needs are fluid, and learning new skills is a prerequisite to being employable. Utah’s business owners were reminded of how fast shifts can occur when the pandemic recession hit and some of Utah’s major industries found their revenue sources disappearing.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNDg2OA==