Roundtables to discuss Delaware’s progress coincide with announcement of funding won by Markell Administration

Wilmington, DE – U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, U.S. Sen Tom Carper, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and Delaware DOL Secretary Patrice Gilliam-Johnson met in Wilmington on Oct. 3 to tour local Apprenticeship and Training operations and participate in two roundtables to discuss the program’s progress.

The visit coincides with a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor that Delaware has received a $200,000 federal grant to expand its Apprenticeship and Training operation by integrating the program into local education and workforce systems, engaging industry and other partners to expand apprenticeship to new sectors and new populations and expanding outreach with employers to offer new apprenticeship opportunities.

This work builds on efforts spearheaded by Governor Markell’s Administration that provide better pipelines to good jobs, including the TechHire initiative that has more than doubled participants incomes by giving them IT training, as well as the Pathways to Prosperity program, through which 6,000 high school students are on track to graduate with college credit and workplace experience in high-demand fields.

“We’re really excited about the strides we continue to make with our apprenticeship and training program in Delaware,” said Secretary Gilliam-Johnson. “We have seen the value of investments in high-quality workforce training through the success of Delawareans who have participated. And thanks to this grant and the support we’ve received from Senator Coons, Senator Carper, Congressman Carney and U.S. Labor Secretary Perez, we’re able to do even more to create employment opportunities for hard-working Delawareans.”

According to USDOL statistics, 87 percent of apprentices are employed after completing their programs, with an average starting wage above $50,000 per year. The return on investment for employers is substantial, as studies indicate that for every dollar spent on apprenticeship, employers receive an average of $1.47 return in increased productivity, reduced waste and greater front-line innovation.

In Delaware the program has produced graduates since the mid 1970’s and currently has nearly 1,100 active registered apprentices in 23 different occupations. There are some 300 active sponsors or employers for these, with the largest numbers stemming from the electrician, plumbing and HVAC trades.

“Enhancing our apprenticeship offerings is one of the best ways to strengthen the quality of our workforce over the long term,” said Governor Markell. “This effort, combined with others like Pathways to Prosperity and TechHire, are helping to ensure Delaware remains competitive in the new economy and that we build on the progress that has led to the best job growth in the region. I welcome Secretary Perez to Delaware today and thank him and our congressional delegation for their support for these programs.”

The majority of apprenticeships are four years in length, with the participants receiving 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training. For each year of training, a minimum of 144 hours of related instruction is required. Upon completion of the required on-the-job training and related instruction, the apprentice is eligible for “journey papers.” A journeyperson is nationally recognized as having a well-rounded ability in all phases of his or her trade.

Schedule of events

Apprenticeship Tour and Roundtable

What: Secretary Perez, will participate in an apprenticeship roundtable with Senator Carper, Senator Coons, Delaware Secretary of Labor Gilliam-Johnson, elected officials, community leaders and Apprenticeship program participants.

When: 10–11:30 am

Where: RC Fabrication, 824 Locust Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

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Tech Hire Tour

What: Secretary Perez, Sen. Coons, Delaware Secretary of Labor Gilliam-Johnson, and business and community leaders will participate in a tour of Zip Code. They also will take part in a coding competition where they are put different teams of students competing against each other’s coding abilities.

When:  11:45am – 12:00pm

Where:  Zip Code, 1105 N. Market Street, 3^rd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801

 

APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING WEEK

President Barack Obama proclaimed the week of November 2, 2015, as the first Annual National Apprenticeship Week. This year, the second Annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place November 14-20, 2016 NAW offers Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors the opportunity to showcase their programs, facilities, and apprentices, and gives Employers, Education, Industry Associations, Labor, Elected officials and other critical partners the opportunity to highlight how Registered Apprenticeship meets their needs for a skilled workforce.

 

Here’s video of Senator Coons highlighting Delaware Apprenticeship programs to mark National Apprenticeship Week:

https://youtu.be/xDtau3ZlqD0

 

ABOUT THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

The Delaware Department of Labor connects people to jobs, resources, monetary benefits, workplace protections and labor market information to promote financial independence, workplace justice and a strong economy. The department is made up of five divisions:

Division of Employment & Training

Division of Unemployment Insurance

Division of Industrial Affairs

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information

The combined efforts of these divisions and offices support the employment-related needs of nearly 400,000 Delaware workers and more than 20,000 businesses throughout the state.

 

 

 

Wilmington – Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Rita Landgraf has been chosen to serve on the new U.S. Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced Monday.

 

Landgraf, who has spent more than 30 years of her career in support of individuals with disabilities, served as a key adviser to Gov. Jack Markell during his yearlong initiative as Chair of the National Governors Association to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.  The Governor’s 2012-2013 initiative, “A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities,” culminated with the release of a blueprint for his fellow governors specifically focused on the role that state governments and businesses can play in creating more employment opportunities for people with disabilities and on improving employment outcomes. Landgraf continues to work with the Governor to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities in Delaware’s private, nonprofit and public sectors.

 

“I am thrilled Secretary Perez has chosen Rita to serve on this new advisory committee,” Governor Markell said. “She is an ideal choice to move this work forward on a national level because she never forgets that, at its core, this is about people and the talents and skills they can share with others in the workplace. As the employment picture continues to improve nationwide, it is important we find additional ways to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. With Rita’s knowledge and experience, she is uniquely qualified to do just that.”

Under Governor Markell’s leadership and in partnership with the business community, Delaware reported an 8.6 percent increase in active employment for individuals with disabilities from 2011 to 2013. Markell also has made hiring of people with disabilities a priority for state government using hiring practices and programs to increase employment levels.

After the University of Delaware, in collaboration with the State of Delaware, conducted a comprehensive survey of state employees in 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identified two key areas for training: disability awareness among all employees, and refinement of state hiring practices and systems in order to recruit more qualified applicants with disabilities. An online class, “Focus on Ability,” became available to all state employees in October 2014. A classroom training program for managers and supervisors will begin this year.

Secretary Landgraf, who has served as DHSS Cabinet Secretary since January 2009, is the former executive director of The Arc of Delaware and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Delaware. She also served as president of AARP Delaware. She was nominated to serve on the U.S. Advisory Committee by the National Disability Institute and received a letter of recommendation from Governor Markell.

 

“I was honored to be nominated by the National Disability Institute and to be supported by Governor Markell, and I am equally honored to be selected to serve by Secretary Perez,” Secretary Landgraf said. “My entire career has been motivated by this deeply rooted belief: We all benefit when individuals with disabilities are able to share their gifts and talents with others and vice versa. We know that too often what separates people with disabilities from the rest of the population is financial security. I believe, as the Governor does, that individuals with disabilities should not have to choose between meaningful employment and retaining the supports and services they receive through Medicaid and other government programs. I look forward to advising Secretary Perez on ways to advance employment opportunities across the country for individuals with disabilities.”

 

The new U.S. Advisory Committee is a key provision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in July 2014. The law supports job seekers, including individuals with disabilities, access services to succeed in employment and matches employers with skilled workers. The committee will advise the U.S. Secretary of Labor on ways to increase competitive integrated employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities.

 

Integrated employment refers to jobs held by people with disabilities in workplace setting where the majority of employees do not have disabilities. In these jobs, individuals with disabilities earn wages consistent with those paid workers with disabilities performing the same or similar work, making at least minimum wage and are paid directly by their employer.

Secretary Landgraf is one of 17 selected members of the committee chosen from more than 280 nominations nationwide. Seven federal officials will also serve on the committee. Other members represent:

• Self-advocates for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities;

• Providers of employment services, including those who employ individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in competitive integrated employment;
• Representatives of national disability advocacy organizations;
• Experts with a background in academia or research in employment and wage policy issues for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities;
• Representatives of the employer community;
• Other individuals with expertise on increasing opportunities for competitive integrated employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

The first meeting of the committee will take place Jan. 22-23 at the U.S. Access Board in Washington. More information about the committee, its members, and upcoming meetings can be found at: http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/WIOA.htm.

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DOVER, DE – Eric Seleznow, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training/Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), will attend the April 8th meeting of Delaware’s Workforce Investment Board. This is an opportunity for Secretary Seleznow to share opportunities and information about new programs with federal workforce training funds. Joining him will be Regional Administrator, Lenita Jacobs-Simmons.

Most of the discussion will focus on how Delaware could make better use of federal workforce training dollars. Sec. Seleznow will be available for interviews immediately following the meeting.

At the invitation of new Board Member Lt. Governor Matt Denn, Secretary Seleznow will share successes from other states and ideas for offering programs and using federal funds here in Delaware. As the Executive Director of Governor O’Malley’s Workforce Investment Board in neighboring Maryland, Seleznow focused on increasing services to disadvantaged populations, introducing universal design principles to the state’s one stop career system, and led the cross agency effort to implement Skills2Compete Maryland, an innovative approach to measuring Marylanders’ degree, credential and basic skills attainment across a broad array of public programs. He will also share some of those successes with Delaware’s WIB.

In his current role, Secretary Seleznow focuses on two key outcomes – a properly prepared workforce to meet the current and future demands of the nation’s employers, and providing opportunities for all Americans to succeed in the 21st-century workforce. Prior to this assignment, he served as the State Policy Director with the National Skills Coalition, where he worked with many states and diverse stakeholders to strengthen state workforce policies. His official CV may be found here: http://www.doleta.gov/etainfo/Eric_Seleznow.cfm

The Delaware Workforce Investment Board, chaired by Gary Stockbridge, ensures the citizens of Delaware are provided with occupational training and employment service opportunities to help them achieve employment sustaining them and their families. They also seek to communicate with their business industry partners to provide them with qualified workers to meet their employment needs. The DWIB also has a very active Youth Council that has oversight for programs designed specifically to help Delaware’s at-risk and neediest youth prepare for the workforce.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014
9:00am – 11:00am

Delaware Workforce Investment Board
Goodwill of Delaware – Community Room
300 East Lea Boulevard
Wilmington