August 1st, 2024 by WCBC Radio

 U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) today joined the Biden-Harris Administration in announcing $24,030,695 in federal funding to expand apprenticeship programs across growing industries in Maryland. This federal investment in workforce development aims to create more equitable access to good jobs for underrepresented communities and was awarded to six Maryland projects.

The awards were made available through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America grant programs as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, which includes funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act.

“Maryland’s robust apprenticeship programs offer affordable, accessible pathways to good-paying jobs with long-term career potential,” said the lawmakers. “This federal investment will provide more high-quality workforce training and a direct pipeline to in-demand jobs in growth sectors like transportation, health care, and technology. Our workers are the backbone of our economy, and with these investments that we’ve fought alongside the Biden-Harris Administration to deliver, we’re making our economy stronger.”

The following projects received awards:

1. $8,000,000, Amalgamated Transit Union, Silver Spring, MD: To develop a national public transit registered apprenticeship ecosystem that connects frontline workers with 6,680 trainees enrolled in registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships for high-demand occupations in public transit, as the industry transitions to clean energy vehicles.
2. $3,990,486, Asian American Center of Frederick, Frederick, MD: To expand their highly successful training program that works to increase and diversify the healthcare workforce through pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships for immigrants and other under-resourced populations.
3. $3,882,946, Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare, Inc., Baltimore, MD: To establish a Registered Apprenticeship Hub to expand access to high-quality apprenticeship programs in the healthcare industry, with a focus on promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
4. $1,092,175, Maryland Governor's Workforce Investment Board, Baltimore, MD: To increase staffing capacity for the “Apprenticeship 2030: Maryland’s Workforce Future” program.
5. $3,117,812, Joe's Movement Emporium, Mount Rainier, MD: To grow sustainable, living wage jobs in media and creative technologies across multiple sectors, building opportunities for small business owners and trainees alike.
6. $3,947,276, University of Maryland Global Campus, Adelphi, MD: To develop and implement a replicable national model for increasing employment in high-demand information technology (IT) fields that consists of pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, higher education and job placement programs.