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Above, State Rep. Jeff Roy discusses manufacturing topics with Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones, and Bryan Yanofsky, a manufacturing consultant at Tegra Medical.
Below, officials meet with apprentices at Tegra Medical
This week, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones has joined state and local officials, leaders from business and industry, labor, academia, and workforce training providers and partners to celebrate Massachusetts Apprenticeship Week, in conjunction with National Apprenticeship Week. The administration is hosting a weeklong series of events across the state to highlight the Registered Apprenticeship Program as a key resource for employers to address workforce shortages and encourage residents to pursue apprenticeship pathways in sectors like construction and building trades, life sciences, health and human services, early education, advanced manufacturing, and other industries.
Yesterday, the road show stopped in Franklin, at Tegra Medical in Forge Park, where state officials were joined by State Rep. Jeff Roy for a facility tour and an opportunity to meet apprentices at the company, which specializes in high-precision medical components.
Massachusetts Apprenticeship Week takes place during the second week of November each year and is organized by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Division of Apprentice Standards.
“Registered Apprenticeship is a vital tool in the state’s toolbox to help solve the workforce shortages in industries like construction and the building trades, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, finance, and more,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “To maintain Massachusetts’ competitive edge, we need to invest in our people—both existing workers and untapped talent—and Registered Apprenticeship is a proven, effective model to build the skilled talent that employers need. I look forward to highlighting this essential program with many partners throughout the week.”
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has said it is committed to expanding apprentice into other emerging industries. The Administration’s FY24 budget delivers $4 million to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion for the construction and building trades in Massachusetts and expand registered apprenticeship. The Healey-Driscoll Administration anticipates this funding will lead to more than 1,000 new apprentices employed in expansion industries as well as pre-apprenticeships in construction and other sectors to ensure that Massachusetts is creating more equitable pathways to work for all residents. Already in FY24, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development has invested $3.5 million overall to connect 740 individuals to registered apprenticeship.
Additionally, according to the administration, in the recently signed tax cuts package, the Healey-Driscoll Administration furthered their commitment to Registered Apprenticeship by expanding the Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit to enable employers in more industries to access the credit, including in-demand occupations essential to a region’s economic success.
