On Monday, February 12, Lauren Jones, the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development announced that the state has awarded $5 million in Apprenticeship Expansion and Opportunity Grants to 25 organizations to train and place 1,000 new apprentices across the state. This announcement was made at the Training and Workforce Development office of The Community Group, which received $250,000 to train 50 child care teacher apprentices as part of this funding.
Undersecretary of Apprenticeship, Work-Based Learning, and Policy Josh Cutler, Early Education and Care Commissioner, Amy Kershaw, and several other local and state representatives were present for this exciting announcement.
The Community Group is grateful for the support which allows us to grow our existing child care teacher training. “Through expanding partnerships in the field, we can provide comprehensive support to apprentices, enabling us to foster their professional growth while ensuring that classrooms remain open, and families continue to have access to the highest quality of care for their children. This initiative is not just about our agency; it is about cultivating a network across childcare agencies to meet the needs of our community in innovative ways,” said Maria Moeller, CEO of The Community Group. “The Registered Apprenticeship Program now offers an opportunity to remove barriers to careers in child care, ensuring that our children have confident, knowledgeable, and skilled teachers. It enables collaboration with other childcare programs, not only strengthening our own initiatives but also contributing to a collective solution for the entire community.”
The full press release from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development can be found here.