The Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship

Expanding youth apprenticeship is a strategy for building a more inclusive economy by connecting the learning needs of students with the talent needs of industry. Leaders from industry, education, and government in cities, states, and regions across the country are well-positioned to build public-private partnerships to scale youth apprenticeship opportunities across industry sectors, including advanced manufacturing, finance and professional services, healthcare, information technology, and more.

To support the efforts of leaders in cities, states, and regions across the country, the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) seeks applicants for the PAYA Grant Initiative. Sites selected to receive grants will form the core of a visible national community of innovators at the forefront of the movement to expand participation in high-quality youth apprenticeship programs that produce equitable outcomes for students, employers, and communities.

Grantees should develop and implement strategies that:

• Launch and expand youth apprenticeship pathways that are aligned to careers that pay family supporting wages and address the workforce needs of local industry partners
• Advance policy and system alignment to mainstream youth apprenticeship as a high-quality post-secondary option for high school age youth, with equitable access and outcomes
• Articulate a long-term vision and plan for the sustainable expansion of their youth apprenticeship program(s)

Amount: PAYA will award 4-8 grants up to $200,000 depending on the size and makeup of the grantee cohort. PAYA will support grantees in three primary ways:

• Funding to support cross-site learning, strategy development, and implementation activities between May 2019 and October 2020
• Technical assistance and support through peer-learning and access to national education, business engagement, and workforce experts
• Recognition and visibility through national research, communications, and storytelling efforts to support their cases for expanding high-quality youth apprenticeship

Eligibility: PAYA is looking to support both:

• Partnerships in cities, states, and regions working to launch new youth apprenticeship programs
• Practitioners who are already leading existing high-quality programs to expand the reach or improve the outcomes of their programs

Participants in youth apprenticeship programs generally range from ages 16-24. To be eligible for this grant initiative, programs must be designed to start while apprentices are in high school, per the PAYA definition of high-quality youth apprenticeship. However, apprenticeship programs that plan to serve high school age youth in addition to serving a broader apprentice population are eligible to still apply.

Link: https://new-america-10.forms.fm/the-partnership-to-advance-youth-apprenticeship/forms/5828

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