Clark University has announced that MassHire Central has been identified as the latest Consortium Member of Tech Quest Apprenticeship, a nationwide apprenticeship program administered by the university.
Clark University was awarded a $12 million apprenticeship grant from the Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration to provide business technology and IT training nationwide to people struggling with unemployment and underemployment, and to those seeking to master relevant technology skills in an evolving workplace. The “Scaling Apprenticeships Through Sector-Based Strategies” grant proposal was written in close partnership with Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG), headquartered in Boston, Mass., and is being implemented through a consortium of institutions of higher education, technology industry partners, and workforce boards across the nation. Tech Quest Apprenticeship Expansion Consortium (TQ Consortium) has been developed to promote and implement the apprenticeships.
Tech Quest Apprenticeship program will provide IT and IT-related apprenticeships to a minimum of 1000 apprenticeships and 4000 pre-apprenticeships individuals over the next four years in eight states: Florida, Massachusetts, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Texas, and Missouri. Eligible participants include unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers. Through the apprenticeship training, these workers will be matched with employers and receive on-the-job and academic training, gaining employment as they improve their skills and move up the career ladder. Nationally, a minimum of five new technology-focused apprenticeship programs will be established to help expand IT-related apprenticeships into new service areas. These programs include traditional and high-demand emerging IT-related occupations.
“We are thrilled and excited to be part of the TQ Consortium and its efforts to expand available apprenticeships in high-growth fields like technology and IT,” said Jeffrey Turgeon, Executive Director of MassHire Central. “In Worcester, developing apprenticeships has always been one of our strategies for talent development, retention, and growth. We love the fact that we’re part of this project with our colleagues across the country and right here with Clark University.”
“On behalf of Clark University, I want to thank our national consortium of partners for their commitment to this effort to recruit 4000 pre-apprentices and place 1000 apprentices with businesses,” said David Fithian, President of Clark University. “Clark University is proud of the opportunity to work with more than a dozen communities across eight states to transform how people enter the workforce and provide them the skills and job opportunities they need to contribute and succeed. Without local partners like MassHire Central, and their executive director Jeffrey Turgeon, ambitious initiatives like this wouldn’t be possible.”
PCG provides administrative, programmatic, and partner coordination to support Clark University and the Consortium partners as they work to achieve the grant outcomes. PCG will also serve as the national sponsor and workforce intermediary for the project, working with the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship and private Standards Recognition Entities (SRE) to register new apprentice able occupations and training standards.
About Tech Quest Apprenticeship: Tech Quest Apprenticeship is a U.S. Department of Labor-funded initiative led by Clark University, Public Consulting Group (PCG), and a national consortium of workforce development boards and higher education institutions that will provide 4000 pre-apprenticeships and 1000 IT and IT-related apprenticeships to unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers over the next four years. Through these apprenticeship programs, workers will be matched with employers and receive both on-the-job and related instruction, gaining employment and increasing their wages as they improve their skills and move up the career ladder. The initiative will register at least five new technology-focused apprenticeship programs to expand IT-related apprenticeships into new areas. Tech Quest Apprenticeship is an equal opportunity program fully supported by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) as part of an award totaling $11,999,771.
About Clark University: Founded in 1887, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university that prepares its students to meet tomorrow’s most daunting challenges and embrace its greatest opportunities. Through 33 undergraduate majors, nearly 30 advanced degree programs, and nationally recognized community partnerships, Clark fuses rigorous scholarship with authentic world and workplace experiences that empower our learning community to pursue lives and careers of meaning and consequence. Clark’s academic departments and institutes develop solutions to complex global problems across the disciplines, and the University addresses the behavioral health of adolescents and young adults through the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise. clarku.edu
About Public Consulting Group: Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) is a leading public sector solutions implementation and operations improvement firm that partners with health, education, and human services agencies to improve lives. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PCG has over 2,500 professionals in more than 60 offices worldwide. PCG’s Human Services practice helps state, county, and municipal human services agencies to achieve their performance goals in order to better serve populations in need. PCG’s seasoned professionals offer proven solutions to help agencies design programs, services, and systems; increase program revenue; cut costs; and improve regulatory compliance with state and federal regulations. To learn more, visit http://www.publicconsultinggroup.com/humanservices/.
About MassHire Central: The MassHire Central Region Workforce Board (MCRWB) is one of 16 Workforce Investment Boards throughout Massachusetts charged with overseeing and implementing local workforce development initiatives. The MCRWB serves Worcester and 37 surrounding communities in Central Massachusetts and is a public/private partnership, whose purpose is to develop a system that meets the demands of area employers and ensures individuals have the skills necessary to lead productive, prosperous lives. The Board creates and sustains powerful connections between businesses and job seekers through a statewide network of employment professionals. To learn more, visit MassHire Central.
