California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2179, a California apprenticeship program notification bill, into law on July 2. The bill will require a school district to, at the beginning of the first semester or quarter of the regular school term, provide information on local apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs to the parents or guardians of pupils admitted to or advancing to grades 11 and 12. SHRM supported the legislation.
In a June 14 letter to Newsom, Emily M. Dickens, SHRM chief of staff, head of government affairs, and corporate secretary, and Michael Kalt, government affairs director for the California State Council of SHRM (CalSHRM), wrote, “Raising awareness of apprenticeships, career technical assistance education programs and other career opportunities for Californians who are preparing to graduate from high school will help more students and their families benefit from these valuable education pathways.”
Candidates who successfully graduate from these programs are prepared for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers, Dickens and Kalt wrote.
“In many cases, these job candidates become gainfully employed more quickly and earn more than those with an associate degree alone,” they noted. “However, many students and their families remain unaware of these powerful options. AB 2179 will help rectify this knowledge gap by providing annual notifications to students about the range of education pathways eligible to them.”
SHRM’s 2024 Talent Trends research showed that 75 percent of organizations have struggled to fill full-time positions in the last year. Apprenticeships are a solution to this challenge, Dickens and Kalt stated.
“Nearly 80 percent of organizations that offered registered or customized apprenticeship programs stat[ed] that these programs have been somewhat or very effective in addressing talent shortages,” they wrote.
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