NSC announces call for applications for new Work-Based Learning Academy

National Skills Coalition with be launching a Work-Based Learning Academy to support up to five state teams in developing state policy proposals and advocacy strategies to expand work-based learning to low-income communities.

Work-based learning is an issue of increasing interest among state policy leaders. While some states have adopted policies to support apprenticeship, few have policies aimed at expanding work-based learning opportunities for low-income adults and out-of-school youth.

NSC’s Work-Based Learning Academy will focus on helping state teams develop and advance state-level policies in the following areas:

• State grant programs to fund work-based learning intermediaries or opportunities to modify existing state sector partnership grant programs to help partnerships become work-based learning intermediaries
• State policy guidance to help local workforce development boards use WIOA out-of-school youth funds to support intermediaries that can broker work-based learning opportunities and services for out-of-school youth
• State-established support fund to provide support services such as case management, child care, transportation, and other assistance to low-income people to prepare for and succeed in work-based learning and other policy mechanisms for aligning child care, transportation, and apprenticeship training funds
• State-level financial incentives to help employers establish new apprenticeship programs and hire apprentices from low-income communities
• Tuition waivers for apprentices’ postsecondary classroom instruction and a requirement that such instruction articulate with certificates and degrees

Applications for participation are now being accepted and are due by March 1, 2018. The Academy will officially launch in May and run until June of 2019.

NSC will also be hosting a webinar on our recently released Work-Based Learning Toolkit. In addition to an overview of the toolkit and a federal policy update, this webinar will feature Pat Steele of Central Iowa Works and Anne Kilzer of the Minnesota Workforce Council on apprenticeship initiatives in their states. The webinar will occur on February 20th at 1:00pm EST. Register for the webinar here.