NEW ORLEANS — NOLA LEADS (New Orleans Leading in Education in Apprenticeship Development and Skills), a career-connected learning collaborative powered by YouthForce NOLA, has been awarded $4 million from the Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America initiative. This funding is the result of the largest federal investment in Registered Apprenticeships, totaling more than $244 million, aiming to modernize, diversify and expand the Registered Apprenticeship system in growing U.S. industries. Locally, these industries include clean energy, IT and cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, hospitality and health care.
The funding is allocated to rapidly grow the pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship opportunities in New Orleans, reaching a total of nearly 1,700 participants. By providing a robustly supported pathway into apprenticeships, NOLA LEADS will help lift hundreds of New Orleanians each year into high-wage career paths. At the same time, the program will meet local employers’ talent needs with a highly skilled workforce trained right here in New Orleans. This community-driven collaboration will create easily accessible career training for open enrollment New Orleans Public High School students, and any workers seeking to upskill, which will lead to a significant shift in New Orleans’ economic equity.
“Expanding options, opportunity, and prosperity for young New Orleanians takes all of us, working together. It’s been a goal of our coordinated network of education, business, and community partners to establish and scale high-quality apprenticeships in New Orleans for several years,” shared Cate Swinburn, president and CEO of YouthForce NOLA, in a press release. “This grant is a win for everyone in the YouthForce NOLA collaborative, especially the young people who will be on a path to good-paying jobs and the regional businesses that will have ready talent for their essential workforce needs. With this significant infusion of federal funding, New Orleans Career Center, Operation Spark, Next Level NOLA and NOVAC are ready to immediately create hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities.”
The grant also allocates funding to incentivize local businesses to participate and provide funds to cover training costs, such as supplies and apprentice wages, to ensure apprentices’ work experiences are high-quality and businesses can readily sign on to support the new capacity for apprenticeships.
Claire Jecklin, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of the New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) shared, “Being part of the NOLA LEADS collaboration will enable us to expand our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pathways. This means we can connect more trainees to more paid Registered Apprenticeships in high-demand careers such as Carpentry, Electrical, HVAC, Welding, Pharmacy Technician, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Line Cook and support their ongoing success. It will also enable us to strengthen our employer partnerships and grow the number of New Orleanians who make up a highly trained, mid-skill local workforce.”
