US Labor Secretary Encourages Fresh Look, New Strategy for Apprenticeships

US Secretary of Labor Tom Perez is bringing a new focus to apprenticeship programs as a pathway to the middle class. A recent article in the New York Times describes,

In Mooresville, touring the factory floor and giving a speech at Ameritech Die & Mold, which has teamed with local high schools and a nearby community college to recruit and train its apprentices, Mr. Perez said what was needed was not simply more government financing or new private-sector programs.

“At the educational level, we need a comprehensive strategy to change the hearts and minds of parents,” Mr. Perez told the audience, which included several parents of current Ameritech apprentices. “There are highly selective, four-year colleges that are easier to get into than many apprenticeship programs.”

For more information, read the full story from the New York Times.

At this Summer’s MACo Conference, Maryland’s Secretary of Education, Lillian Lowery, Maryland Association of Community Colleges, Bernie Sadusky, and Prince George’s County CIO, Vennard Wright will be discussing strategies for building a stronger Maryland economy through apprenticeship programs at the MACo Summer Conference Session, Skills to Compete: How Our Schools Are Strengthening Maryland’s Future Workforce.

This session will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2015, from 9:30-11 am at the Ocean City Convention Center.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference:

For a schedule of educational sessions at MACo’s Summer Conference, please view the Registration Brochure.

Questions? Contact Meetings & Events Director Virginia White.