Public Works Sponsored by The Council of State Governments and The Urban Institute, the Public Sector Apprenticeship Consortium explored workforce solutions.
by Mary Elizabeth Lonergan Six months of idea-sharing culminated during the 2021 CSG National Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as six participating states came together for a Public Sector Apprenticeship Consortium sponsored by CSG and The Urban Institute.
ISSUE 1 2022 | CSG CAPITOL IDEAS
The consortium included the participating states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan and Virginia. Its goal was to equip and empower state policymakers — particularly state legislators and executive officials — with tools to develop and implement public sector apprenticeships.
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“We wanted a balanced group of states that could not only lean on CSG and the Urban Institute for support, but also each other,” said Dina Klimkina, workforce and education program director for the CSG Center of Innovation. “We included programs that have established apprenticeship programs, but need a little help in scaling, and those that have robust private sector programming, but none in the civic sector. We looked for proposals that were specific, testable, attainable and relevant. We also wanted to make sure the states had a focus on making sure their apprenticeship programs were inclusive to all and had some focus on underserved populations.” Policymakers from the six states met over six months and developed teams to work on establishing and developing apprenticeship plans, with a convening during the 2021 CSG National Conference. “I thought the forum was a huge success…The state teams were working together, facilitated by CSG and The Urban Institute, so it was a coordinated, facilitated discussion,” said Katia Albanese, program manager for Concepts, Inc., a communications consulting company that
focuses on disability and inclusion issues. Concepts, Inc. is a contractor for the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED). “There were subject matter experts there on all the issues that were noted of importance or priority to the teams,” Albanese said. “They had direct access to subject matter experts while they were convening. The forum allowed for the states to make leaps and bounds in their program development, not just to take a small step toward developing their program.” SEED, part of the U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy, is a state and federal collaboration that helps state and local governments
APPRENT I C ESHI PS support a proven pathway to middle- and high-skilled jobs, but they represent only 0.2% of the labor force in the United States.
Workers who complete an apprenticeship program earn an average salary of $70,000. apprenticeship.gov
