ALY_NY-1953_AllyAccelerationAd_SinglePage_7.5x4.625_r2.indd 1 ©2020 Ally Financial Inc. ALY_NY-1953_AllyAccelerationAd_SinglePage_7.5x4.625_r2.indd 1 9/15/20 5:50 PM If you consider starting an apprenticeship program, an obvious starting point is filling current needs. But building a pipeline of potential employees is important so you won’t have the same shortages five years from now. Apprenticeships can help with future staffing needs, especially if you allow current employees to participate. A few technical or leadership skills can make all the difference for them. When you are allowed to do so, take part of your reimbursement funds and put them back into apprenticeship programs for new employees so they won’t have to wait before starting a program. Everyone benefits when businesses have apprenticeship programs to train potential employees and existing employees. From the Department of Workforce Services’ viewpoint, the goal is to expand the employee pool, a strategy that helps employers and potential employees. Apprenticeships can help disadvantaged and marginalized workers reengage with the job market after the pandemic and gain the necessary skills for a successful career path. During the pandemic, employers saw an unusually high number of skilled employees who retired and had problems replacing them. Enlarging the pool of potential employees helps with that. Enlarging the pool means increasing diversity, and Utah’s businesses have plenty of room for that. Over 4,400 people are currently active in Utah’s apprenticeship programs. More than 1,668 started their apprenticeship in 2021, and 29 new programs started the same year. As stated previously, most apprentices (1,894) are in the 25-34 age group. (For 18-24, the number is 1,187, and for those older than 35, the number is 1,140.) Some 8% are veterans. By gender, about 3.2% are female, and 96.8% are male. Most are white, but a larger percentage of minorities are generally participating than in the state’s population. Apprenticeship programs can cause a cultural shift in companies, especially in their diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEI&A) efforts. Instead of viewing apprenticeship programs that support DEI&A efforts as a form of charity, they discover the programs are a business investment. And by cultivating talent, employers move from a transactional approach that consumes talent to an ongoing collaboration that co-produces talent. Employees gain general skills and company-specific skills. Apprenticeship Utah actively provides how-to information to the business community. The program’s leaders understand that new programs can require businesses to form partnerships with local schools, including high schools. They also know businesses may need guidance about how to create a program. 3 If you have additional questions, contact Apprenticeship Utah at apprenticeship.utah.gov, by email at apprenticeship@utah.gov or 801-707-3549. 19
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNDg2OA==