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Event

Creating an Equitable & Future-Focused Manufacturing Workforce with Apprenticeship

At a Glance

In this event discover how apprenticeship can help your manufacturing business become a more competitive player and an employer of choice for a diverse pool of talented workers from a wide range of backgrounds.
Date March 16, 2021
1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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Right now, American manufacturers are finding that they need to make near-term changes to their hiring and training practices in response to developments like these:

  • COVID-19 has accelerated the automation revolution and placed a renewed emphasis on safety and efficiency, requiring manufacturers to hire workers who are skilled in new technologies and methods, and to train those who aren’t.
  • Companies are awakening to the value and importance of offering equitable career opportunities, causing a shift in policies and procedures in order to widen the talent pool and provide equitable access to opportunities for career advancement throughout the workforce.
  • President Joe Biden has unveiled an economic recovery plan to Build Back Better that includes a concerted effort to drive demand for goods made by American manufacturers, creating a need for a larger and better trained manufacturing workforce.

Apprenticeship has proved to be an effective means of training and upskilling new hires and incumbent workers in a wide variety of manufacturing occupations, such as machinist, CNC machine operator, manufacturing engineering technician, and many other high-demand roles.

Join JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning with the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute to discover how apprenticeship can help your business become a more competitive player and an employer of choice for a diverse pool of talented workers from a wide range of backgrounds.

Don’t miss this free event! The day’s panels will offer practical advice and insights for HR professionals, leaders of manufacturing companies, and anyone else who’s interested in learning how apprenticeship can build a diverse and dynamic talent pipeline filled with workers who are well prepared for the manufacturing jobs of today and tomorrow.

Logos for

Agenda and Speakers

Opening Remarks

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Suzan LeVine

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration

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Rep. Bobby Scott

Chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor

Manufacturing Apprenticeships Today

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Moderator: Eric Seleznow

Senior Advisor, JFF

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Brad Markell

Executive Director, AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council and the Working for America Institute

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Sasha Cooper-Morrison

Business Engagement Team Lead, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship

Creating an Equitable Manufacturing Apprenticeship

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Moderator: Allison Grealis

President & Founder, Women in Manufacturing Association

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Rhandi Berth

Chief Innovations Officer, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership / Big Step

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Carolyn Lee

Executive Director, The Manufacturing Institute

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Latitia McCane

Director of Education, The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding

Building to the Future

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Dane Linn

Vice President, Immigration, Workforce & Education, Business Roundtable

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Elizabeth Shuler

Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO

This event is supported through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Industry Intermediary contract and with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration under contract number HG 34355-20-60. The event is created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.

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