CREDIT WORKFORCE PROGRAM
Houston Community College, TX
HCC Gulf Coast Region Apprenticeship Hub

In the Spring of 2022, Houston Community College launched the Gulf Coast Region Apprenticeship Hub (https://www.hccs.edu/apprenticeship) with the singular goal of expanding the reach and role of registered apprenticeships in the gulf coast region beyond the traditional construction craft trades that have long provided access and entry to high demand careers. Understanding the vital role and essential effectiveness of registered apprenticeships in attracting, training and retaining talent for employers while at the same time providing access and entry into high demand careers that supply a steady wage progression, Houston Community College sought to deliver on this long standing pillar of workforce development by expanding registered apprenticeships in nontraditional sectors such as business and professional services, health care and IT among others.

The Hub provides a space for employers to find the talent they need and career seekers the training and employment they desire. In most cases, Houston Community College serves as the registered apprenticeship sponsor removing the employers’ burden of not only training apprentices, but also handling all of the documentation required by the US Department of Labor to establish and maintain a registered apprenticeship. In addition to accessing strong talent through an earn and learn model, employers can be reimbursed for initial wages through the state’s workforce agency, the Texas Workforce Commission. Thus, the effort is a win-win-win for all involved. The student enters a career while training both at college and on the job, the employer accesses a new talent pipeline and supports through on the job training and mentorship, and the college fulfills its mission.

Since its inception just last spring, the Gulf Coast Region Apprenticeship Hub at HCC has launched 25 registered apprenticeships in partnership with employers with a projected annual enrollment of 1100. In addition to the above expansion in a short amount of time, through the Gulf Coast Region Apprenticeship Hub, HCC held the first annual “Women in Apprenticeship” conference coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week in November of 2022. The event showcased active apprentices and employers engaged through the Hub to an audience of business and industry leaders, high school female students, and community members. Key to the success of the Hub is the college’s commitment to provide dedicated resources to support the growth and expansion across the region. Utilizing five repurposed positions, HCC built a team that lives and breaths all things apprenticeship including an Executive Director, two business and community outreach developers, a program coordinator to manage the DOL registered apprenticeship sponsorship and RAPID system, and a student recruiter.

♦ Click Here to Read Full Submission - PDF File

NONCREDIT WORKFORCE PROGRAM
Hawkeye Community College, IA
WE Build Waterloo

Hawkeye Community College is located in Waterloo, Iowa, and was founded in 1966 as Hawkeye Institute of Technology. Waterloo’s population 66,934 (U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021), is one of the largest and most demographically diverse cities in Iowa. Waterloo has a 24.4% minority population, well above the state’s minority population of 8.4% (ACS, 2017-2021). 16.4% of the residents of Waterloo live at or below the poverty levels, and our county, Black Hawk, is one of the highest in the state at 15%. The national average for those living in poverty is 12.6% (ACS, 2017-2021).

State of Iowa Department of Education (IA DE) data indicates Waterloo Community School District’s high school graduation rate was 81.1% in 2021, while the state average was 90.2%. Students with a low socio-economic status have a graduation rate of 76.9% with the state average of 82.3%. Reviewing this data of the largest 15 school districts in Iowa, Waterloo has the sixth highest dropout rate.

Hawkeye launched WE Build Waterloo in June 2020 to help address these challenges. A community-based quality pre-apprenticeship program, WE Build Waterloo provides a 12-week tuition-free non-credit competency-based education to individuals with employment barriers. In addition to learning high-demand construction skills, students earn industry-recognized certifications and receive career counseling, resume assistance, interview preparation, team building, and leadership and personal skills development. During the program, students engage in a residential construction or rehabilitation that is later sold to a family connected to Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity.

WE Build was founded on principles of redefining access to college education, redeveloping neglected neighborhoods, and serving the community holistically, while creating a talent pipeline for the construction industry. Our goals are 74% of all enrollees obtain their high school equivalency credentials, high school diplomas, and/or industry-recognized credentials, 90% of program completers continue their education or transition to full-time employment, 73% of those placed in education or employment retain their placement for at least six months, recidivism rates within one year of enrollment for court-involved students average 15%, and rehabilitate or build new at least one property for low income families per year.

WE Build is more than a workforce training program; it is a community development program providing a talent pipeline to local registered apprenticeship employers and sponsors. It helps reduce poverty through education, increases access to quality affordable housing, and revitalizes blighted neighborhoods.

♦ Click Here to Read Full Submission - PDF File