It’s National Apprenticeship Week 2020

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a nationwide celebration that brings together business leaders, career seekers, labor, educational institutions, and other critical partners to demonstrate their support for apprenticeship. NAW also provides apprenticeship sponsors with the opportunity to showcase their programs, facilities, and apprentices in their community. The week-long celebration highlights the benefits of apprenticeship in preparing a highly-skilled workforce to meet the talent needs of employers across diverse industries.

Although we continue to be hampered by COVID-19 restrictions on in-person gatherings throughout the United States, the International Finishing Trades Institute is representing the training caliber of the members of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in several ways.

Where allowed, some IUPAT District Councils are welcoming young men and women into their training centers. Others are connecting virtually.

The iFTI will be representing the IUPAT this week on a panel with fellow representatives of the Building Trades addressing the American School Counselor Association on the successful career pathway an apprenticeship offers students who are graduating in 2021.

More updates to come, but pass along the following points about how apprenticeship is good for the young men and women who join them, and the industries that employ them:

Today, employers across the country struggle to find workers with the right skills due to the growing skills gap in the workforce.

Apprenticeships offer workers paid, relevant workplace experiences while acquiring the skills and credentials that employers value.

Apprenticeship offers career seekers the opportunity to:

Earn a paycheck while learning from day one – Earn While They Learn!
Gain workplace-relevant skills in the field of their choice.
Apprenticeships also provide affordable paths to secure, high-paying jobs and careers without the typical student debt that has become associated with college.
The average starting wage after completing an apprenticeship program is $70,000.
Workers who complete apprenticeship programs earn an average of $300,000 more over their career when compared to peers who don’t.

Apprenticeship programs help employers:

Recruit and develop a diverse and highly-skilled workforce that helps grow their business.
Improve productivity, profitability, and an employer’s bottom line.
Create flexible training options that ensure workers develop the right skills.
Receive tax credits and employee tuition benefits in participating states.
Increase staff loyalty and retention of workers, during and following the apprenticeship.
94% of apprentices retain employment after completing an apprenticeship program.