Mary Taylor, industry training and development specialist from the Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of Technical Schools and Federal Programs, accepted an Apprenticeship Ambassador Certificate of Recognition during a ceremony with the U.S. Department of Labor at the White House on Oct. 23. Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Labor.
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Career and Technology Education received an Apprenticeship Ambassador Certificate of Recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor at a White House ceremony on Oct. 23. KDE was the only entity from Kentucky and the only state department of education to receive this recognition.
Mary Taylor, industry training and development specialist from KDE’s Division of Technical Schools and Federal Programs, accepted the award recognizing KDE for its commitment to expand and diversify Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
“It is an honor for KDE to receive this national recognition for its commitment to the Apprenticeship Ambassadors. It recognizes KDE’s dedication and ‘all in’ attitude for advancing educational opportunities through onsite training for students across the Commonwealth,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “When businesses, communities and our schools work together to increase learning opportunities for our students, we can achieve great things.”
KDE has invested in youth apprenticeship through the Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) program. Established in 2013, TRACK is a proven model to accelerate students into registered apprenticeship career opportunities leading to a nationally recognized U.S. Department of Labor certificate.
The U.S. Department of Labor has selected 441 Apprenticeship Ambassadors since the initiative’s launch. The latest cohort includes organizations from emerging and high-growth industries, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, education, financial services, healthcare and hospitality.
Apprenticeship Ambassadors are helping to modernize Registered Apprenticeships by making specific commitments to sponsor promotional and training activities, conduct outreach to people from underrepresented populations, launch Registered Apprenticeship programs and to hire apprentices. To date, these organizations have held more than 10,800 promotional and outreach activities and 2,600 training sessions, established 520 Registered Apprenticeship programs and hired more than 155,000 apprentices. Approximately 90% of ambassadors offer programming geared toward underrepresented groups.
“The Apprenticeship Ambassador initiative shows how a powerful national network can promote and expand Registered Apprenticeship programs successfully for the benefit of workers, employers and communities nationwide,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez. “We congratulate our Apprenticeship Ambassadors for their achievements and partnership and look forward to the continued growth of these programs with the help of our latest cohort of ambassadors.”
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship will collaborate with Apprenticeship Ambassadors to promote Registered Apprenticeship as part of the 10th Annual National Apprenticeship Week, scheduled for Nov. 17-23. Youth Apprenticeship Day was Nov. 18.
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