Over $11 million available to fund local apprenticeships in underrepresented populations

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) released a competitive Request for Proposals to fund registered apprenticeship expansion across the state. More than $11 million is available to fund grant awards to groups of statewide and/or local partners who will work as Regional Implementation Consortia to expand registered apprenticeship opportunities.
Funds provided by the grant awards will help reimburse Registered Apprenticeship Program costs, including on-the-job learning and related technical instruction. The Consortia will lead expansion activities to accelerate the growth of more than 6,000 apprentices with a focus on underrepresented populations, including youth and veterans in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand careers in advanced manufacturing, construction, energy, healthcare, information technology and mobility sectors to help secure Michigan’s future.
LEO anticipates funding between 10-15 awardees, ranging from $300,000 to $1.1 million each.
“These funds represent an opportunity for employers to develop skilled workers to help meet industry demand and workforce needs across the state,” said LEO Acting Director Susan Corbin. “Being able to support registered apprenticeship means more opportunities for job seekers to earn while they learn, gaining in-demand skills and a nationally recognized credential in a critical industry.”
Regional Implementation Consortia will lead statewide and/or local program implementation activities to establish new or expand existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Employers of all sizes interested in sponsoring Registered Apprenticeship Programs can partner through Consortia to benefit from a successful application. Many regions already have groups working together that are well-positioned to apply. Consortia partners include employers, labor, Michigan Works! Agencies, secondary educational partners, postsecondary institutions and others.
“Registered apprenticeship continues to grow exponentially in our state,” said LEO’s Office of Employment and Training Director Stephanie Beckhorn. “We want to do everything we can to best support that expansion so we can help more individuals, including those in underrepresented groups across our state, gain paid work experience and related classroom instruction usually with little or no cost to the individual.”
Request for Proposal submissions are due by Feb. 1, 2021 with awards announced on March 1, 2021. A pre-submission informational webinar will occur on Jan. 6, 2021 to provide an overview of the process for potential applicants.
To learn more about becoming a Regional Implementation Consortia partner, contact the LEO State Apprenticeship Expansion Team at LEO-Apprenticeship@michigan.gov. To learn more about this RFP opportunity, or to register for the Jan. 6 informational webinar, visit Michigan.gov/Apprenticeship.