Joshua Johnson, the director of Jobs for the Future’s National Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship, was a guest on a recent episode of the Workology Podcast titled “Apprenticeships as a Way of Eradicating Poverty.”

Responding to a question from host Jessica Miller-Merrell about JFF’s recently launched initiative to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in Registered Apprenticeship, Johnson noted that the apprenticeship system has reflected the patterns of inequality in the broader labor market, and therefore employers and apprenticeship providers must put forth a conscious effort to make apprenticeship programs more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible.

“We have to get away from this idea that we can just enroll people in it and we’re going to be successful,” he said, adding that JFF’s effort to advance diversity in apprenticeship “focuses on building systems, processes, partnerships, and practices that drive equity across each stage of the apprenticeship experience.”

The episode was part of a podcast series powered by the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship, or PIA, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.