Miami Dade College has been awarded a U.S. Department of Labor Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grant worth nearly $2 million to expand and create new apprenticeship opportunities in Florida.
The labor department this week announced $183.8 million in Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grants to support the development and expansion of apprenticeships for educational institutions partnering with companies that provide a funding match component.
Miami Dade CollegeThe Miami Dade initiative is a collaboration that includes Polk State College, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Kaseya software company and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). They will use their grant to develop the Miami Dade Apprenticeship Partnership in Information Technology (MAP IT), a project that will focus on information technology and related industries to develop and expand apprenticeship programs within those fields.
The project will launch next month in hopes of serving at least 800 apprenticeships over the four-year project period with the goal of filling hiring gaps in Florida’s growing technology hub.
Another grant awardee is Ohio’s Lorain County Community College, which is collaborating with Ohio TechNet and The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association in a collective known as the Ohio Manufacturing Workforce Partnership. The partnership will use its $12-million grant to upskill 5,000 Ohioans over the next four years through federally recognized Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, or IRAPs.
The labor department also will make available an additional $100 million for efforts to expand apprenticeships and close skills gaps in the three targeted areas: information technology, advanced manufacturing and healthcare. The grants are funded through H-1B visa fees, which are paid to bring foreign workers to America when Americans cannot be found to fill open jobs.
