Rosen Announces $450,000 Grant for Registered Apprenticeships in Nevada

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosa (D-NV), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement announcing Nevada has been awarded a grant totaling $450,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to improve and expand the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) in Nevada. This funding will be used to place 35 crisis counselors in community programs statewide to support Nevadans coping with the effects of COVID-19. 

“Nevada is a shining example of workforce development and support,” said Senator Rosen. “I am pleased to see that the Department of Labor has chosen to award this grant funding to Nevada in order to bolster our state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program. During this difficult time, it is all the more important that we support our state’s workforce and expand the potential for career opportunities in the Silver State. I will continue to advocate on behalf of Nevada workers in Congress, and help to ensure that we receive our fair share of federal support.”

BACKGROUND: The grant funding of $450,000 has been awarded to the Nevada Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation. With these additional funds, Nevada will support Registered Apprenticeships through:

·         Expanding registered apprenticeships in healthcare, mental health care, addiction treatment, or alternative pain management occupations providing support to individuals living in rural areas;

·         Incorporating specific strategies to support or expand Registered Apprenticeship opportunities among all workers, including women, minorities, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with a criminal record;

·         Supporting system alignment and partnership through the establishment or expansion of the role of the business service representatives/apprenticeship navigators with the promotion of apprenticeship to partner systems;

·         Developing innovative technical assistance strategies/approaches for Registered Apprenticeship sponsors;

·         Establishing an employer incentive plan to expand or scale Registered Apprenticeships;

·         Identifying specific strategies to support engagement with small businesses in non-traditional industries in Registered Apprenticeships;

·         And launching or expanding sector strategies to expand RAPs to new industries and/or new or non- traditional occupations in existing sectors.

Last year, Senator Rosen introduced the Cyber Ready Workforce Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to award grants to workforce intermediaries to support the creation, implementation, and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs in cybersecurity.

Senator Rosen also helped introduce the 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act (S.2670), legislation that would provide federal support for middle and high schools to partner with institutions of higher education, industry partners, and apprenticeship programs to create an education or career training program for students.

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