2024 Apprenticeship PA Workshops
Speakers: Adina Tayar, EDSI
Location: CrossRoads Expo Hall
Description: Get to know the Keystone Apprenticeship Alliance network of professionals who provide boots on-the-ground technical assistance to entities interested and involved in apprenticeship. Don’t miss this opportunity to tap into expertise and support in your local area!
Speakers: Kim Patrick, Career Ready Lancaster!
Location: Foundry Ballroom E
Description: Attendees will learn the value of competency models in building career pathways, creating training and development curricula, and building work processes. Competency models can serve as the foundation for apprenticeship development. Build the framework and apprenticeship will follow.
Speakers: Danielle Demirovic, Apprenticeship & Training Office
Location: Foundry Ballroom B
Description: Have you heard of Pre-Apprenticeship and wondered what that is? This is usually one of the first questions we get asked when at events. This interactive workshop will be presented by the Pre-Apprenticeship Division of the ATO. We will provide information about Registered Pre-apprenticeship and how your program can fit into the Pre-Apprenticeship puzzle. Talking points include who makes up the different parts of the puzzle to complete the picture of Registered Pre-Apprenticeship. We will show you the ways you can build, develop, and maintain your programs. Join us in our interactive, informative, and maybe even a little competitive presentation!
Speakers: Bryan Herrick, M.Ed., ACT – Workforce Solutions/WorkKeys
Location: Foundry Ballroom C
Description: TAKE-AWAY: participants will receive additional career navigation resources that will include a WorkKeys Apprenticeship Toolkit, Access to the JobPro Occupational Database aligned with O*NET, A JobPro Career Navigation Guide, Industry Readiness Profile Career Navigation Guides for Construction, Manufacturing, Healthcare, IT, etc. and a WorkKeys Skills Based Career Navigation Toolkit.
Speakers: Sara Gligora, PA Dept. of Agriculture
Location: Foundry Ballroom D
Description: This workshop will include a panel discussion with current agriculture apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship sponsors, participants and education partners. The panelists will discuss their programs and needs within the industry, their success with apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, tips for developing non-traditional programs and the key partnerships and collaborations that have led to the success of their programs.
Speakers: Laura Radford, Grant Associates
Location: Monacacy A
Description: In order to create a more equitable future that best serves our youth and our communities, we must reimagine our approach to work-based learning. With the evolution of how and where people work, the rise of careers in the technology sector, and the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and youth employment, work-based learning programs will play an even more critical role in helping young people connect to careers and employers in the future economy. This workshop will discuss best practices for adapting work-based learning programming to remote and blended learning environments with tools like social media, online learning software, and mobile apps. We’ll also offer practical tips and techniques for scaling up work-based learning programs across regions and organizations of all sizes based on our experience training hundreds of youth services providers. This delivery model remains relevant even as the shutdowns and disruptions of COVID-19 pandemic have faded: it helps programs deliver services to youth with disabilities, diverse learners, students impacted by natural disasters, and many other scenarios that prevent in-person participation. The world of work is changing, and our work-based learning programs must change along with it!
Speakers: Alan Dodkowitz , Safal Partners, and Jeremy Faulkner, Safal Partners
Location: Monacacy B
Description: Building pathways for youth and young adults into Registered Apprenticeship programs is crucial for building the workforce of tomorrow. This workshop will discuss ways stakeholders can build these pathways and engage various partners within the Registered Apprenticeship ecosystem.
Speakers: Heidi Speese, NOCTI
Location: Foundry Ballroom E
Description: Join us to explore the significant role that NOCTI plays in Pennsylvania Career and Technical Education (CTE). Understanding the impact of having certified CTE students in your local area can strengthen apprenticeship programs and benefit employers. NOCTI credentials validate the skills required by students, apprenticeship completers, and new hires to meet employer expectations. With all CTE high school completers required to take a NOCTI test, there is a pool of talented young individuals moving toward their future.
Speakers: Jared Young, Apprenticeship & Training Office
Location: Foundry Ballroom B
Description: Take part in our interactive session of “Who wants to be an Apprenticeship”, where the benefits of Apprenticeship will be delivered using the style of the beloved game “Who wants to be a millionaire”. Sign up and learn how Registered Apprenticeship Program can help your organization push the boundaries of what you think you know about apprenticeship and discover benefits, regulation, and pathways to the success a Registered Apprenticeship can offer. Whether you are new to PA Registered Apprenticeship or looking to further your comprehension, this workshop promises to deliver valuable facts in a fun and informative way.
Speakers: Jessica Charlton, Office of Administration – Work-Based Learning Division
Location: Foundry Ballroom C
Description: Ever wondered how a simple tracking system could revolutionize training and mentorship in your apprenticeship? In this workshop, you will discover how a ticket tracking system can transform IT apprenticeships and revolutionize training across various industries and occupations. This workshop will delve into how this tool not only streamlines workflow and enhances apprenticeship programs, but also empowers the program creator in designing tailored and effective training models for both OJT and RTI. Learn to harness ticket tracking for evaluating technical and soft skills, and gain insights and join the discussion on how we could expand this tool’s applications beyond IT. Whether you’re in technology, trades, healthcare, or agriculture and beyond, this session will inspire you to rethink traditional approaches and explore innovative solutions for skill development and mentorship.
Speakers: Nancy Dischinat, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley
Location: Foundry Ballroom D
Description: Join Workforce Board Lehigh Valley to discuss a business and industry-led Industrial Training & Education Consortium (iTEC), a regional apprenticeship program established to attract and provide industrial skills training and talent development to meet the needs of Lehigh Valley’s growing manufacturing and supply chain industry sector.
Speakers: Chrissie Klinger, Penn State University
Location: CANCELED
Description: Discover how having the right programs and people work together can expand and enhance pre-apprenticeships in PA. During this interactive session we will share the keys to collaborating well with your partners and helping more adults access pre- apprenticeship and IET programming. Participants will leave with strategies and resources that help reduce barriers and increase career opportunities for jobseekers in PA.
Speakers: Eric Dunker, National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree @ Reach University
Location: Monacacy B
Description: NCAD will discuss the opportunities around Apprenticeship Degrees, where your job can lead to your degree and not the other way around. We will discuss how post-secondary, employers, and the public workforce system can collaborate and co-create these new pathways to upward economic mobility for thousands of PA residents. We will highlight several examples from across the US and make them relevant to the PA context in the areas of teaching, healthcare, and behavioral health.
Speakers: Kaila Shannon, Philadelphia Works, Gloria Fallini, Philadelphia Works, Tara Toms, Keystone Development Partnership, and John Tkach, Keystone Development Partnership
Location: Foundry Ballroom E
Description: Are you looking to expand apprenticeship in your region? Are you trying to think of new ways to engage employers and partners in apprenticeships? Come learn from several intermediaries from across PA on how they have engaged their partners to expand apprenticeship in their regions. Attendees will learn best practices for planning and hosting events and will have opportunities to ask questions.
Speakers: Jeannette Coleman, Apprenticeship & Training Office
Location: Foundry Ballroom B
Description: Step into the interactive session of Jeopardy Journey, where learning meets excitement. Join us for an engaging session where participants explore the ins and outs of WIOA and Registered Apprenticeships through the lens of the classic game show. Challenge yourself with categories that unravel the benefits, guidelines, and pathways of WIOA for Registered Apprenticeships. Whether you’re new to the concept or looking to deepen your understanding, this workshop promises fun and informative insights that will equip you for success in navigating WIOA and Registered Apprenticeships.
Speakers: Allison Braund-Harris, Hardly, and Roger Harris, Hardly
Location: Foundry Ballroom C
Description: One of the biggest complaints from job seekers today is not being able to make it past the automated resume screener in Applicant Tracking Systems. This workshop will provide an overview of how the job search process has changed over recent years— including the addition of applicant tracking systems (ATSs). The workshop will also demonstrate how to use AI for resume writing, and there will be a demo of Hardly’s AI Resume Builder and AI Cover Letter Writer.
Speakers: Madeline Boehm, Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP)
Location: Foundry Ballroom D
Description: H-CAP will review the impacts of registered apprenticeship in the healthcare industry with a mix of stories and data. H-CAP will help explain the differences of Registered Apprenticeship in the healthcare industry. H-CAP will go over the logistics of developing and implementing a registered apprenticeship, and the maintenance of a program. The presentation highlights different supports available for implementing a registered apprenticeship program in healthcare, and how H-CAP can offer support and technical assistance in all phases of a registered apprenticeship.
Speakers: Brian Paterniti, Manufacturers’ Association, and Crystal Huesman, Manufacturers’ Association
Location: Monacacy A
Description: Explore the ins and outs of group sponsorship. Are you interested in learning more about group sponsorship? Currently serve as a group sponsor and looking to deepen your expertise? This townhall session will share perspectives into group sponsorship and gather your input on needs, assistance, and opportunities.
Speakers: Joe Gusler, PA Building & Construction Trades Council , Claire Kovach, Keystone Research Center, Inc.
Location: Monacacy B
Description: For much of the twentieth century, white men accounted for the vast majority of trades workers throughout the construction industry in Pennsylvania and across the United States. In the last several decades, however, unionized construction has led a gradual shift in a more diverse direction (as documented in this 2018 Keystone Research Center report). In the last half dozen years, the increase in the diversity of apprentices in Pennsylvania has accelerated, and not only in Philadelphia and now Pittsburgh. This workshop will feature joint apprenticeship and training directors and active apprentices who can speak from first-hand knowledge of their participation in diversifying building trades in and near the Lehigh Valley. That will be coupled with the “numbers” on the changing face of Lehigh Valley apprentices in the unionized construction industry—highlighting the progress made and the opportunities to make more progress including as part of securing more climate, infrastructure, and innovation dollars from the federal government.
Speakers: Cheryl Lafferty, Philadelphia Academies, Inc., and Crystal Lanier, Philadelphia Academies, Inc.
Location: Foundry Ballroom E
Description: Registered Pre-Apprenticeship Programs may all have common requirements, but within established goals and guidelines there is vast space for creativity, innovation, and contextualization to ensure the needs of participants are met in the best way possible. This workshop will look at 7 Pre-Apprenticeship Programs implemented or in development by Philadelphia Academies, Inc. to explore where common frameworks and requirements are essential, and where flexibility and change can lead to amazing outcomes for the young people involved. We will also discuss how lessons learned by Philadelphia Academies, Inc. can empower those attending the workshop to consider clear takeaways and next steps for their context.
Speakers: Tara Loew, Apprenticeship & Training Office, and Jen Grooms, PA Dept. of L & I
Location: Foundry Ballroom B
Description: The Biden-Harris and Shapiro Administration have made millions of federal and state dollars available to support the expansion of registered apprenticeship programs and support recruitment from populations traditionally underserved in the model. During this panel, you will hear from several PA grantees having received apprenticeship funds. The panel will serve as an introduction to some of the varying funding opportunities made available over the past 4 years and allow grantees to demonstrate the impact of their projects, discuss barriers, and successes.
Speakers: Sue Hoffman, Women in Nontraditional Careers, and Lark Jackson, Chicago Women in Trades National Center
Location: Foundry Ballroom C
Description: Attendees will learn best practices from Philadelphia’s Women in Nontraditional Careers Initiative (WINC), a multi-stakeholder collaboration that promotes careers in the skilled trades in construction, manufacturing, transit, and utilities, including WINC’s successful women-focused trades readiness program.
Speakers: Alan Hack, Central Susquehanna IU, & Jennifer Rawson and Jennifer Hertwig, Bucks County IU
Location: Foundry Ballroom D
Description: Want to impact the training of the entire future workforce of Pennsylvania? Train teachers. Attendees in this workshop will learn about the progress of registered teacher apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania, hear from partners who are implementing teacher apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania districts with Pennsylvania institutes of higher education, and identify how they might be able to support teacher apprenticeship programs in their local communities. Alan Hack, the Chief Academic Officer of Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU), will co-present with Jason Lange of BloomBoard Inc. CSIU is developing a statewide framework for Pennsylvania registered teacher apprenticeship programs (RTAPs), and BloomBoard Inc is an educator intermediary supporting the implementation of RTAPs at districts across the state.