In 2016, Kelly M. Schulz, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, announced a $2 million award from the United States Department of Labor’s ApprenticeshipUSA Expansion Grant to invest in the state’s registered apprenticeship Apprenticeships: An arrangement between a developing educator and an employer (e.g., a child care program) that allows the educator to participate in on-the-job professional learning and related coursework. Apprenticeship programs are often sponsored by government agencies and/or non-profit organizations. programming, which includes a Child Care Development Specialist apprenticeship. At the end of 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced that the Maryland Department of Labor had received a $6,012,924 award from the U.S. Department of Labor for a State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant. These funds increased the scope of services offered to Registered Apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and apprentices. In 2021, the program received $3 million in funding for Maryland’s registered and youth apprenticeship programs. Registered apprenticeships allow employees to have a full-time job, learn through a combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction, and earn a salary. The state’s youth apprenticeship program, Apprenticeship Maryland, is offered in 15 county school systems and 151 employers; it accepts high school juniors and seniors, providing them with a head start on their future career. While enrolled in this program, apprentices work a minimum of 450 hours with a certified employer while receiving high school credit.
Sources:
Maryland Department of Labor. (2016). Maryland Awarded $2 Million for Apprenticeship Program.
Maryland Department of Labor. (2020). Governor’s Budget Provides $7.5 Million for EARN Maryland and a Record $3 Million for the State’s Apprenticeship Program.
Maryland Department of Labor (2020). Governor Hogan Announces Maryland Awarded Over $6 Million for Apprenticeship Program.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
The early education workforce is the foundation upon which all daily work and any expansion and quality improvement efforts rest. Research suggests that states and cities should invest in the workforce across all early education setting types, focusing on enhancing educators’ professional learning, compensation, and workplace conditions.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Early educators play a critical role in supporting the well-being of young children and families across setting types.
- Yet their pay, benefits, and other professional supports are often inadequate in light of the job demands and their cost of living.