You know “timing is everything,” right?

This week is National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) and your timing couldn’t be better if you’re looking to upskill your workforce. National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration that showcases the impact Registered Apprenticeships have on re-building our economy, advancing racial and gender equity, and supporting underserved communities.

Registered Apprenticeship is the best way to ensure your workforce is fully trained and to demonstrate your investment in development to your new hires. MACNY has partnered with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) to sponsor The Manufacturers Alliance Intermediary Apprenticeship Program. As a sponsor, we act as an intermediary to help small and medium companies start Registered Apprenticeships at their companies. We make the process simple by assisting with initial set-up, registration, monitoring, and program maintenance. For a full list of our services, take a look at our Registered Apprenticeship Program Guide. We also provide funding sources that support Registered Apprenticeship programs and continue to explore every opportunity to bring these dollars to our manufacturing partners as they try to eliminate skills gaps and fortify their talent pools.

What makes your interest in Registered Apprenticeship so timely? Right now, there are funding opportunities available to offset the costs of education and training, such as:

The SUNY/New York College Apprenticeship Network (NYCAN) on-the-job reimbursement program:

For manufacturers who employ 50 or fewer people and add Registered Apprentices (RA), this program reimburses 50% of the salary for the RA’s on-the-job training, up to $25/hour for up to six months. Do the math on a newly hired, full-time RA making $16/hour for a 40-hour work week over an eight-week training period. Your company would be reimbursed $2,560 to defray training costs, all with minimal paperwork.

The Apprenticeship Expansion Grant (now extended through December 2022):

For manufacturers looking to expand their Registered Apprenticeship programs. Employers who place qualifying apprentices into Registered Apprenticeship programs are potentially eligible for additional funds through AEG. This federal program means up to $10K per qualifying RA to employers who understand the urgency of acting NOW, by getting their workers trained and ready for tomorrow.

The Jobs for the Future (JFF) Apprenticeship Grant (ages 18-21) subcontracted through MACNY:

This funding addresses the fact that the job market is tight and the ways we recruited and trained yesterday are obsolete today. JFF strives to incentivize employers who hire RAs from under-represented groups, like youth.

On the topic of growth and expansion, you may want to revisit MACNY’s menu of NYSDOL-Registered Apprenticeship trades. After launching in 2017 with six advanced manufacturing apprenticeship trades, we have since added 13 more, including the versatile Industrial Manufacturing Technician.

Today’s workforce issues challenge every employer to reimagine current strategies. With over 108 years of experience, MACNY is here to help provide solutions to these concerns and many more.

If you’d like more information on Registered Apprenticeship, recruiting, hiring, and training solutions, please e-mail me directly at [email protected].