3 The Opportunity Ahead: A Call to Action for American Skills and Jobs Office of Apprenticeship is also planning to update its regulations to enhance opportunities for women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities in apprenticeship. Laying the Groundwork for Fall Apprenticeship Competition. In partnership with a range of national organizations, Skills for America’s Future will undertake an outreach and capacity- building program for prospective applicants and their employer partners to the forthcoming grant solicitation on the expansion of the country’s apprenticeship opportunities. This outreach will include the development of webinars and resource materials to provide an overview to apprenticeship models, best practice examples of apprenticeships, and tools for developing and growing apprenticeship programs. Connecting Apprentices with College Credit. The Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium (RACC), a partnership among community colleges, national accreditors, employers, and major apprenticeship sponsors, is making it possible for apprentices to earn college credits for their apprenticeship training that will transfer to any community college in the consortium they attend. Founding members include large state systems like Ohio and Wisconsin. Since it was launched in April by the Vice President, 14 colleges, four national Registered Apprenticeship sponsors with 575 affiliated local programs, and three other state-wide community college systems have applied to join the consortium. Employer Investment in Skills and McDonald’s English Under the Arches Example Training McDonald’s offers employees the English Under the Arches program Most training in the United States (EUA), a nationally-recognized workplace ELL program that provides occurs at the workplace: over a English language instruction using a combination of technology and quarter of all workers report that they in-person instruction. McDonald’s developed the program after realizing that many staff members held great potential for workplace receive some formal job training from advancement yet lacked the language skills to fully compete for the 49 positions. Begun through a series of pilots in 2007, EUA is designed their employers, and about 70 percent of firms indicate they offer for McDonald’s managers and manager trainees. Individual 50 franchise owners select managers and manager trainees to some type of training to employees. participate in the program, pay their tuition, and provide paid work The vast majority of these resources time for the employees to attend classes while at work. Classes are are invested in professional held during work time in McDonald’s restaurants (five hours per development and training for more week), and employees connect with other student-employees and highly skilled employees. The PIAAC the teacher in real time in a “virtual classroom.” allowing employees Survey of Adult Skills found that the to gain the language skills they need to advance without losing work participation rate in job-related or transportation time. In addition to the virtual classes, students learn through face-to-face classes and on-the-job practice. The education and training in the United program has had over 2,500 participants since 2008, has 91 States in 2012 ranged from 21 percent course completion, 88 percent employee retention one year percent for adults with the lowest after graduation, 84 percent two years after graduation, and 73 level literacy skills to 69 percent for percent three and four years after graduation. Over 95 percent of participants saw their wages increase. 49 Robert I. Lerman, Signe-Mary McKernan and Stephanie Riegg, “The Scope of Employer-Provided Training in the United States: Who, What, Where, and How Much?” Job Training Policy in the United States (2004). 50 Robert I. Lerman, Signe-Mary McKernan and Stephanie Riegg, “The Scope of Employer-Provided Training in the United States: Who, What, Where, and How Much?” Job Training Policy in the United States (2004). 67