Labor Department Backs Regional Workforce with $5.8M Grant
Date Posted: October 10, 2022
Posted In: News, Workforce,
From The St. Louis American: The Metro East will continue in assisting regional workforce development through a U.S. Labor Department grant.
Madison County and the St. Louis region workforce innovation initiative has received a four-year, $5.8 million grant as part of the Apprenticeship Building America program.
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville and other institutions including Southwestern Illinois College, Lewis and Clark Community College, St. Louis Community College, Jefferson College, and Kaskaskia Community College will help connect apprentices to quality education and training programs.
“SIUE is a leader in online degree completion and corporate partnerships, supporting employee advancement through specialized post-secondary opportunities at the bachelor’s, post-baccalaureate, and master’s levels,” SIUE Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, said.
“We are proud to collaborate with numerous members of the Gateway Hub. Together, we are building partnerships that provide transformative experiences for individuals who seek something greater through high-quality academic development and hands-on skills training.”
The Gateway Hub is comprised of six workforce innovation partners. They include Madison County Employment and Training, St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department, City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and the Jefferson/Franklin Consortium in Missouri.
“We are thrilled with this announcement from the Department of Labor to be able to launch the Gateway Registered Apprenticeship Programs Hub,” Employment and Training Director Tony Fuhrmann said.
The project aims to register at least 750 new apprentices across the region and represents the first joint initiative between Illinois and Missouri workforce areas, Fuhrmann said
“These Local Workforce Innovation Areas serve more than 13 counties and 2.4 million residents across the St. Louis metropolitan region,” Fuhrmann said. “In addition to building capacity and awareness for apprenticeships as an ‘earn-as-you-learn’ model for workforce development, the Gateway Hub will emphasize the inclusion of underserved populations in apprenticeship opportunities.”
He said the target industries are education, healthcare and social assistance and bioscience manufacturing research and development were selected due to alignment with regional comprehensive economic development strategies, strong employment demand and quality of jobs and previous success in collaborating with regional employers in these fields.