National Apprenticeship Week begins Monday and Vermont Governor Phil Scott was at a manufacturing plant in Brattleboro Thursday to promote state support of apprenticeship programs. It was his first weekly press conference since his re-election to a fourth term Tuesday, but he made no mention of politics.
A focus of Republican Governor Phil Scott’s administration since he was first elected has been addressing the state’s demographic trends. An aging population is translating to fewer people in the workforce. During his visit to Brattleboro’s G.S. Precision, a manufacturer for the aerospace, defense and thermal imaging industries, the governor announced a $228,000 grant from the Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program for the company to establish a machinist apprenticeship program.
Scott said with at least 20,000 job openings across the state, such apprenticeship programs are a key strategy to rebuild the workforce.
“The apprenticeship programs are a perfect example of a public-private partnership that invests in our workforce. Apprenticeships are a key component of our strategy because they’re a great way to gain industry recognized credentials, earn an income and get on the job experience. This is really a win-win-win. Whether its careers like the ones offered here or in other high demand fields there’s so many opportunities for Vermonters to get the training they need for a great career.”
Vermont Commissioner of Labor Michael Harrington said the state’s registered apprenticeship program provides substantial economic benefits as it identifies key occupations and develops training programs to meet employer and job seekers’ needs.
“The average starting wage for completing a registered apprenticeship program is $77,000 per year. For comparison the median wage in the United States is roughly about $53,000 a year for an individual. Of the apprentices in Vermont 93 percent retain employment after completing their program. Workers who complete registered apprenticeship programs earn an average of $300,000 more dollars over the lifetime of their career when compared to their peers. And for every dollar an employer spends on apprenticeships they see a return of $1.47, so one and a half times.”
Harrington says the future needs of Vermont businesses cannot be met without solid talent pipelines. He said registered apprenticeship programs are a proven model that provides new workers across a variety of industries.
“In the last year alone we served 4,694 apprentices, 50-percent of whom were between the age of 16 and 24; 35 percent were between 25 and 35 and 15 percent were 35 or older. And 50 percent of those apprentices were in the construction industry. With continued development of new and innovative programs, the use of cutting-edge technology, registered apprenticeship programs are a critical tool in building Vermont’s workforce as workers in key industries are aging out and we need skilled workers to replace them.”
