All About PASmart: Initiative for Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships in PA are on fire! 🔥 And they're continuing to get some juice from the state. Great news for new high school grads or folks looking to trade in their cubicle job for something a little more hands on. 🔧 And let's be real...mechanics are way hotter than Bob from accounting. 🤓

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Governor Wolf recently gathered some besties to celebrate the achievements of the PASmart program. The program has invested more than $40 million since 2018 to bring more opportunities to the PA workforce through apprenticeship programs and industry partnerships.

Here’s Five Fast Facts about the PASmart Initiative:

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1. 🤑 Smart Dollars - Since 2018, PA's Department of Labor & Industry has put nearly $28 million towards registered apprenticeship programs and close to $13 million for industry partnerships.
2. 🧭 Navigation Station - To date, PASmart has trained more than 50 program navigators to guide folks through the apprenticeship process. They're on track to train an additional 46 navigators state-wide through 2024.
3. 🆙 All The Way Up - Apprenticeships in many career areas are on the rise state-wide. Since 2016, education apprenticeships have increased by 83%. They're up 71% in the healthcare sector and 64% in the technology sector. 
4. 🐺 Leader of the Pack - PA is leading the pack within the six-state region (PA, WV, VA, DE, MD, DC). They have the largest total number of programs, apprentices, and completions.
5. 🥓 Bring Home The Bacon - The average starting wage of an apprentice is $70,000 per year after graduation. Apprentices are on track to earn $300,000 more over their careers compared to workers who don't graduate from an apprenticeship program.

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🔥Bottom line: Any funding towards boosting apprenticeships is money well-spent. The Baby Boomer generation is retiring and taking their skilled-labor expertise along with them, so the more apprenticeships that are filled, the better! PASmart sounds like a great program, and we hope it continues to make a positive impact on PA's economy.

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Are you in an apprenticeship program? Let us know by connecting with us on Social Media and be sure to share this newsletter with any friends & coworkers!

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