Mar 16
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Strengths-Based Practices to Support Neurodiversity at Work

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Episode 19: Strengths-Based Practices to Support Neurodiversity at Work In honor of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, March 13 – 19, Scott Michael Robertson, Ph.D., Senior Policy Adviser in the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, gives tips and advice for taking a strengths-based approach to supporting neurodiversity in the workplace. Robertson uses his personal experiences as an autistic man to illustrate his suggestions.

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Oct 20
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Not Your Grandfather’s Apprenticeship: Apprenticeships in Nontraditional Sectors

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Episode 17: Not Your Grandfather’s Apprenticeship: Apprenticeships in Nontraditional Sectors Joshua Johnson, Director of Jobs for the Future’s National Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship, discusses the importance of promoting apprenticeship in nontraditional sectors, disability disclosure challenges, and his passion for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). 

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Sep 15
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How Apprenticeships are Creating Career Opportunities for Veterans with Disabilities

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Episode 16: How Apprenticeships are Creating Career Opportunities for Veterans with Disabilities Nicholas Morgan, President of Adaptive Construction Solutions and military veteran, discusses how he built one of the nation’s most recognized workforce development companies and provided opportunities to high-growth, high-demand jobs for veterans with disabilities through apprenticeship.

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Aug 12
solar panels and wind turbines

POSTER: Diversifying the Solar Workforce Through Inclusive Apprenticeships

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Check out the “Diversifying the Solar Workforce Through Inclusive Apprenticeships” poster below to understand the growing employment opportunities in solar energy for people with disabilities. This poster was presented at the American Solar Energy Society’s SOLAR 2022 conference, which focused on “Energy Transition with Economic Justice.” The event was attended by hundreds of solar industry professionals and academics, many of whom spoke with PIA about how solar energy organizations can take steps to make their workforce development activities more inclusive of people with disabilities. We encourage you to use this graphic to better understand how the solar industry can create inclusive apprenticeship programs that build a talent pipeline and create jobs for people with disabilities. At the American Solar Energy Society’s SOLAR 2022 conference in June 2022, PIA submitted a paper entitled “Diversifying the Solar Workforce Through Inclusive Apprenticeships.” The paper was revised by industry scholars who accepted the article, which was published by Springer in the “Proceedings of the American Solar Energy Society National Conference.” Download the Poster
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Jul 14

Apprentice Utilization Requirements

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This policy brief explores apprentice utilization policies and their potential to create more demand for apprentices in emerging U.S. industries. The paper also reviews the application of these policies in the healthcare industry and proposes approaches to pilot policies for apprentice utilization in healthcare.

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Jun 16
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How an Inclusive Apprenticeship Led to Marketable Skills in IT: A Neurodiverse Apprentice Shares His Success Story

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Episode 15: How an Inclusive Apprenticeship Led to Marketable Skills in IT: A Neurodiverse Apprentice Shares His Success Story Earl Dube, a graduate of the Bridge to Opportunity IT program who identifies as neurodivergent, shares his journey into an IT career through apprenticeship. He provides advice to other job candidates with disabilities, as well as to employers of neurodiverse apprentices about how they can create inclusive workplaces to broaden their access to a large talent pool of tech professionals.

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May 24
Two men working on solar panel instalation

Diversifying the solar workforce through inclusive apprenticeships

By Renewable Energy No Comments
This article is reprinted from Solar Power World with the permission of the editor. According to the United States Energy and Employment Report (USEER) 2021, much of the clean energy sector experienced job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the solar industry saw an 8% decline in jobs. In 2020, the industry began rebounding, bringing an influx of 560,000 jobs into the energy sector and a continued need for solar workers. As we turn the corner into 2022, experts anticipate continued growth in solar jobs. A recent study from the U.S. Department of Energy projects that the solar industry will employ between 500,000 and 1.5 million American workers by 2035. Though increasingly optimistic about the future outlook, many industry leaders face major hurdles to recruit and hire experienced candidates to fill the growing number of clean energy jobs. As outlined in the 2021 USEER report, 88% of companies in the electric power generation sector reported: “It was either somewhat difficult (69%) or very difficult (20%) to find new employees.” At the same time, the energy sector is “less diverse than the nation as a whole,” and employers are seeking ways to build diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible workplaces. Apprenticeship programs that are designed to...
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May 24
Two men working on solar panel instalation

New Florida milestone highlights the value of apprenticeships for the solar industry

By Renewable Energy No Comments
This article is reprinted from Solar Power World with the permission of the editor. Registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) are a proven workforce development tool that is employer-driven and worker-centric. They provide a pathway for new employees to earn an entry-level salary while learning the trade through a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction, with progressive wage increases as they learn and gain experience. Apprenticeships can also help grow the solar workforce at a time when demand for workers is high and our industry will need to grow significantly to meet clean energy and climate targets. There are many additional benefits of registered apprenticeship programs, including access to tax credits, tuition and wage reimbursement, GI Bill housing allowances and other financial incentives. Unfortunately, solar apprenticeship programs have historically been limited because key solar jobs are not yet recognized as “apprenticeable” by the U.S. Department of Labor. A recent milestone in Florida underscores the value of solar apprenticeships and complements an existing effort among industry stakeholders to develop standards that would enable this option across the country. Florida creates a solar installer registered apprenticeship program The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) and Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA) worked together...
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May 18
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Creating a Truly Inclusive Workplace: A Conversation Between Colleagues with Disabilities

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Episode 14: Four colleagues at Wheelhouse Group (a Cadmus Company), who lead the PIA and PEAT initiatives as prime contractors, come together to discuss their personal experiences as employees with disabilities. Based on their lived experiences as individuals with mental health disabilities, visual impairment and substance use disorder, they offer their advice on what employers and fellow team members can do to create a truly inclusive and stigma free workplace.

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