As the fiscal agent to LWIA 23, Lake Land College has been awarded $98,480 for the Apprenticeship Expansion Grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The grant funds will be used to hire an apprenticeship navigator for all of Economic Development Region 7. Apprenticeship navigators are an essential component to the apprenticeship Illinois framework as they work directly with businesses to cultivate and launch new US Department of Labor-registered apprenticeships.
Workforce partners across Local Workforce Innovation Area 23 formed an Apprenticeship Navigator Consortium to support the expansion of apprenticeships in the region. The Consortium is comprised of partners spanning the thirteen county region – Clark, Clay, Crawford, Coles, Cumberland, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Lawrence, Marion, Moultrie and Richland. The participating partners are: Local Workforce Innovation Board 23, Lake Land College, Kaskaskia College, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Illinois Department of Employment Security, Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, Effingham Regional Growth Alliance, Paris Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO), Paris Union School District, East Central Illinois Development Corporation and Richland County Development Corporation.
The new apprenticeship navigator will build capacity and support the business ecosystem in key industry sectors. The new apprenticeship navigator will work at the regional level, being the key point of contact in the area for the expansion of registered apprenticeship programs. The person in this position will build relationships with regional employers to expand the use of apprenticeships as a work-based learning strategy. The apprenticeship navigator will build and maintain effective partnerships among businesses, the workforce system, education/training providers and other stakeholders. The primary objective of the navigator is to expand apprentice sponsorship by employers and intermediaries in existing and new occupations within their region. The apprenticeship navigator will support workforce demand by utilizing apprenticeship as a workforce development tool for businesses.
The goal of the project is to develop at least five new apprenticeships, expand existing apprenticeships, and to overall raise awareness and visibility of what apprenticeships are and the advantages they pose to businesses, the workforce and the local economy. The apprenticeship navigator will focus first on apprenticeships in EDR 7’s most in-demand industries based on labor market information and the EDR 7 Regional Plan: healthcare, transportation, distribution and logistics, education, construction and manufacturing. The apprenticeship navigator will work closely with established intermediaries to cultivate stronger partnerships and facilitate the development of new apprenticeships.
With a dedicated apprenticeship navigator in the region, more registered apprenticeships will be established and thus strengthen local workforce through work-based learning experiences. For more information on the Apprenticeship Expansion Grant, the newly created position of apprenticeship navigator or workforce development needs, please contact Jamie Corda Hadjaoui, Director of Workforce Investment/LWIA 23 at jcorda12886@lakelandcollege.edu.
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