Focus on Manatee | More apprenticeships could improve job market in Manatee County
Samantha has been working as an assistant supervisor at a local fast-food chain for nearly six years, during which she’s been promoted multiple times and is now making $12.50/hour with benefits. She decided to go back to school, but dropped out after having her son so she could focus on work and provide for her family.
Stories like Samantha’s are all too common in today’s job market. According to the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constraint, Employed) report provided by United Way Suncoast, 44% of Manatee County households live below the survival budget of $45,984 (family of 4) or $30,152 as a single mother of one. The ALICE report highlights the real challenges facing families looking to improve their education so they can move into better wage careers. That is why communities including Manatee County have been prioritizing the importance of apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships have been around for centuries and is the original “earn and learn” model, providing individuals with an opportunity to earn a decent living while they are learning the skills to advance in a specific industry. The average apprentice earns a starting wage of $15/hour and increases to an average of $33.65/hour at the end of a four-year apprenticeship program.
Apprenticeships exist in industries such as healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing and provide jobseekers with a clear pathway to upward economic mobility. At CareerSource Suncoast, apprenticeships are a top priority as we know it will provide opportunities for individuals to find career success by being given an opportunity to earn a living while receiving the skills to increase their wages.
For our community to provide more of these opportunities, we need businesses to establish apprenticeship programs. Once established, apprenticeship programs reduce turnover rates, increase productivity, lower the cost of recruitment and increase safety in the workplace or job site.
Apprenticeships are a proven solution for you to recruit, train and retain highly skilled workers, just like Samantha who started in an apprenticeship program and is now earning $21 an hour while continuing training to become a fully certified apprentice electrician.
If you’ve considered establishing an apprenticeship program at your business, CareerSource Suncoast has funding to help get you started. Give our Business Services team a call at (941) 358-4200.
Ted Ehrlichman is presiden and CEO of CareerSource Suncoast.