Local governments are facing significant workforce challenges, negatively affecting their ability to provide critical services to their residents and limiting their overall economic growth. On average, local governments need 130 days to find qualified candidates to fill open positions, compared to 36 days in the private sector, and 61% of counties underrepresent BIPOC communities in their municipal workforces. Cities, towns, and villages have an opportunity to equitably expand on-ramps to municipal jobs that provide stability, competitive wages and benefits, and careers with opportunities for advancement.
Apprenticeship Programs are an evidence-based strategy to address the key workforce needs of local governments. Join the National League of Cities (NLC) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) for an exciting new technical assistance cohort focused on implementing Registered Apprenticeships. Participating cities will have access to tools and resources to partner with local apprenticeship intermediaries and/or develop new Apprenticeship Programs to fill critical vacancies in municipal roles.
This initiative is made possible through the generous support of the US Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.
Technical Assistant Cohort
The Apprenticeship for Cities Technical Assistant Cohort will engage cities to build or expand Apprenticeship Programs to fill critical vacancies within municipal government.
Cities will receive technical assistance to:
- Create equitable economic success for their residents by building and sustaining talent pipelines for in-demand jobs in local government.
- Develop and leverage partnerships with education and training providers, workforce development organizations, community-based organizations, and other local stakeholders.
- Identify and address shared workforce pain points and improve stakeholder coordination within and beyond government to the number and diversity of residents accessing good jobs in their communities.
- Create a shared understanding of, and a common language for, the issues and strategies to promote long-term equity in education, training, and career opportunities in local government.
NLC welcomes proposals from any cities, towns, and villages in the United States interested in learning more about and implementing Apprenticeship Programs and other inventive programs, services, and policies to strengthen pathways to careers in public service.