1 Ready to Work Also, DOL and ED have partnered to develop an innovative model for obtaining college credit while in apprenticeships. The Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium (RACC) is a partnership among community colleges, national accreditors, employers, and major apprenticeship sponsors, making it possible for apprenticeship graduates to earn credits that will transfer to any community college in the consortium they attend. Since it was launched in April by the Vice President, 33 more colleges and systems, including four national Registered Apprenticeship sponsors with more than 500 affiliated local programs, and three statewide community college systems have applied to join the consortium. Regional Apprenticeship Summits Transportation Health care Construction Energy Manufacturing Technology Atlanta Boston Washington Houston Chicago San Francisco th th th th th th June 4 June 6 June 12 June 17 June 19 June 27 We are using such collaborations to expand access to apprenticeships and their proven pathways into the middle class to more Americans. Through a partnership between VA and DOL, employers now have a fast track for their veteran employees to access their GI Bill benefits for Registered Apprenticeships, helping more than 9,000 veteran apprentices receive the benefits they have 8 earned. In addition, given that women only make up 7 percent of apprentices, DOL started apprenticeship assistance centers to support employers looking to recruit more women into 9 technical apprenticeships. In partnership with its advisory board of employers, unions, and training providers, DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship is working to expand pre-apprenticeships through highlighting successful programs to increase awareness of and access to apprenticeships for a greater diversity of America’s workers. Already, we are seeing results. Employers and unions ranging from Ford and UPS to the UAW have pledged to add tens of thousands more. There are now 10,000 more apprenticeships in America than there were when the President issued his call in January.10 Regional Partnerships of Industry, Education, and Workforce Institutions Despite the importance employers place on their degrees in hiring criteria, higher education institutions have struggled to keep up with the skills and competencies employers need, in part because of a poor understanding of those needs. There are hundreds of successful collaborations between four-year colleges or community colleges with employers to tailor programs, but these still are more the exception than the norm. This number has grown dramatically over the course of the past few years and even in the past year. There is a movement emerging that our policies are beginning to fuel. 8 "American Job Training Investments: Skills and Jobs to Build a Stronger Middle Class," White House Fact Sheet (April 2014). 9 "White House Summit on American Apprenticeship," White House Blog (July 2014). 10 Internal RAPIDS calculation, U.S Department of Labor. 14