About
About > Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a structured, industry-driven, high-quality talent development solution. It enables employers to equip their employees with critically-needed competencies and skills and enables workers to obtain paid work experience, relevant instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential. A high-quality apprenticeship program includes:
A Paid Job – Apprentices are paid employees who are expected to produce high-quality work while building critical occupationally-required skills under the supervision of a qualified professional.
On-the-Job Learning – Employers determine the minimum qualifications, experience and education apprentices need to bring to their job on day one and then provide a structured plan to build on that foundation for learning in a work setting.
Related Instruction – Apprentices learn critical theory and knowledge (the “why”) to complement the technical skills they’re learning on the job (the “how”) through classroom, virtual or hybrid settings. Related instructional providers can be a community or technical college, experienced on-site instructor, or other qualified training provider of the employer’s choice.
Mentorship – Apprentices learn occupational skills from an experienced supervisor/mentor who transfers their valuable institutional knowledge and expertise while providing ongoing support to help apprentices persist to program completion.
Credentials – High-quality apprenticeship programs result in apprentices earning a minimum of one portable, nationally-recognized and industry-valued credential upon program completion.
About > ACCELerate Apprenticeship
ACCELerate Apprenticeship is a U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) grant-funded initiative of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) to expand apprenticeship opportunities at ports and across America’s multimodal transportation-connected supply chain. We provide employers with:
PROGRAM EXPERTISE
Our team of apprenticeship experts can walk you through the key components of apprenticeship, design a program to meet your critical occupational needs, and help you secure buy-in from organizational leaders.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TOOLS
We deliver technical assistance including workplace learning plans, identifying related education and providers, building partnerships with key stakeholders providing mentor training, designing customizable marketing material and more.
LIMITED GRANT FUNDING
We provide grant-supported funding to organizations committed to developing new or expanded apprenticeship programs. Funds can be utilized for program administration, related instruction costs, materials and tools, mentor training, and more.
About > Our Grant Team
Combined, our grant team has over 50 years of experience developing, managing, expanding and sustaining more than 100 registered apprenticeship programs for companies of all sizes nationwide.
Our team also has unparalleled experience convening employers and 2-year community and technical colleges to ensure that related instruction for apprentices is both highly aligned with industry needs and results in post-secondary credit toward academic certificates and degrees.
We can assist your organization in building a program that meets your occupational needs, accessing federal, state and local sources of support, and fast-tracking any needed approvals if you choose to register a program through USDOL.
DOWNLOAD: About Us | What Is Apprenticeship | Funding Your Program | ACCELerate Brochure
About > AAPA
Founded in 1912, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas, representing more than 130 public seaport authorities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. Cargo activities at U.S. seaports support nearly 31 million American jobs and account for 26% of the U.S. economy, generating nearly $5.4 trillion in total economic activity and more than $378 billion in federal, state and local taxes (2018).
AAPA was proud to have by chosen by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) as one of only 28 recipient organizations nationwide under the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap program. The $5.8 million, 4-year grant will be used to build and expand apprenticeship programs by ports, maritime and multimodal transportation companies, and organizations across America’s supply chain.