ACC Awarded $140K Grant for Registered Apprenticeship Programs

Arapahoe Community College has received a $140,000 grant from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to support the expansion of registered apprenticeship programs.

The AACC Expanding Community College Apprenticeships program – or AACCECCA – aligns students’ interests with the necessary instruction and on-the-job training to secure a competitive advantage in the workforce. The grant runs through the spring of 2022.

“ACC’s goal is to energize and recalibrate the talent pipeline to key regional industries that sustain and enhance our communities,” said Dr. Eric Dunker, ACC Associate Vice President and Dean of Business, Technology and Workforce Partnerships. “As ACC continues to further its connections with industry partners, and through additional support from initiatives like AACCECCA, we will successfully implement registered apprenticeship programs that fill workforce gaps, provide businesses with top talent, and lead students to promising careers.”

AACC and the U.S. Department of Labor collaborated to launch the AACCECCA earlier this year. AACC has selected 66 individual colleges and consortia, representing 105 colleges across 31 states and territories, to help develop apprenticeships with employers, with the goal of producing 16,000 new apprentices over the next three years. The project, with guidance from a 55-member task force assembled by AACC, will assist two-year institutions with identifying internships, externships and cooperative agreements for high-quality apprenticeship programs.

For additional information about workforce partnerships at Arapahoe Community College, please contact eric [dot] dunker [at] arapahoe [dot] edu.