Hello from the PIA team!
As the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approaches on July 26, PIA continues to work with our partners, employers, and apprenticeship intermediaries to enhance and expand inclusive apprenticeship programs and inclusive career paths. Our efforts support a workforce that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible to all.
Here are a few updates from our team:
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Perspectives on Apprenticeship
Are you seeking information on the benefits of creating an inclusive apprenticeship program? We designed a new resource to help employers better understand how inclusive apprenticeship programs can drive inclusive talent pipelines at their organizations. To inform this resource, we sought input from employers, apprenticeship intermediaries, disability advocates, and people with disabilities. Read “Perspectives on Apprenticeship: What Employers Should Know About the Value of Inclusive Apprenticeship Programs” to learn more.
New Podcast: Invisible Disabilities and the Workplace
Inclusive apprenticeship programs can help employers build diverse and inclusive workforces of trained professionals, including workers with mental health disabilities. In this podcast, Devin Boyle, Director of Communications for PIA, discusses the stigma around mental health, opens up about her own bipolar disorder and PTSD, and emphasizes the benefits of hiring apprentices and employees with mental health conditions and other invisible disabilities. Listen to the podcast and read the transcript on PIA’s website.
Register Now: Inclusive Apprenticeships: Shaping Your Community’s Workforce
Join PIA on Wednesday, July 21 at 2:00 pm ET for our first webinar—”Inclusive Apprenticeships: Shaping Your Community’s Workforce.” Communities across the country are turning to apprenticeship programs to build a skilled workforce. When these programs are designed to be inclusive, they can support your local organizations as they build more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplaces. In this webinar, you will learn about the steps two communities have taken to expand opportunities for their residents (including people with disabilities) by shaping apprenticeship programs that place inclusion at the forefront. Learn more and register here.
Speakers include:
Moderator: Vinz Koller, Senior Strategist at Social Policy Research Associates (SPR)
Panelists: Michael Specchierla, Executive Director, SLO Partners; and Diamond Williams, Education and Employment Specialist at New Orleans’ legendary Café Reconcile
PARTNER NEWS
Digital Accessibility in the Workplace
The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) published a new blog post, “Digital Accessibility in the Workplace with EARN.” Learn how to boost inclusion in the workplace by eliminating bias in technology for employers’ human relations (HR) activities and create more accessible digital meetings.
Career Pathways in Tech
Our partners at Apprenti established an Access Team focused on creating an accessible and inclusive pathway to careers in tech via apprenticeship. The team has designed an inclusive hiring process, improved the accessibility of digital assets, conducted organization-wide training on disability topics, and created a robust accommodation system.
Check out these three new resources from the Access Team to enhance support for current and future apprentices with disabilities: “Reasonable Accommodation Information for Managers,” “Navigating the Accommodation Process,” and “Know Your Rights.”
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