The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with Cognizant, recently convened public and private sector leaders to showcase Governors’ leadership advancing apprenticeship. Held in Phoenix, Arizona, during National Apprenticeship Week, the summit brought together public and private leaders to explore best practices and opportunities to expand apprenticeship.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs delivered a keynote address to kick off the summit, welcome attendees to Phoenix and highlight the progress Arizona has made in expanding apprenticeship opportunities as a pathway to economic opportunity, including in the state’s burgeoning semiconductor industry. Governor Hobbs highlighted several recent advancements in apprenticeship, including her announcement earlier that morning of an expansion of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) Registered Technician Apprenticeship program. Governor Hobbs has made several significant investments in apprenticeship since taking office in 2023, including the BuildItAZ Apprenticeship Initiative, which seeks to double the number of construction and trades apprentices in Arizona by 2026.
The day’s programming featured two sessions on key apprenticeship topics. The first discussion focused on building the apprenticeship ecosystem by engaging employers, government and education partners to increase participation in apprenticeship programs. The session featured policymakers from Montana and Washington who shared their Governors’ efforts to foster new partnerships to grow apprenticeships in underserved communities (including rural and tribal communities), as well as a representative from Intel who provided insight best practices to increase employer engagement in apprenticeship. The second and final session highlighted opportunities to center apprenticeship in leading edge industries, with policymakers from Arizona and Tennessee sharing how their states’ Governors have prioritized apprenticeship in sectors such as semiconductor and electric vehicle manufacturing. A representative from Google also joined the session to outline the company’s philosophy for leveraging apprenticeship to increase the talent pipeline across the technology industry.
Participants also toured Mesa Community College, which has partnered with Intel and the SEMI Foundation to launch a semiconductor manufacturing apprenticeship program, made possible with a $4 million investment from the Arizona Commerce Authority. Several students enrolled in the program joined the tour to share their experiences, helping to demonstrate how the apprenticeship program is setting them on a pathway to succeed in this emerging sector.
The summit featured several panel discussions and remarks from experts from across the country. Featured speakers included:
- Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs
- Deputy Assistant Secretary Brittany Stich, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- John Aultman, Executive Policy Advisor for Higher Education & Workforce Development, Office of Washington Governor Jay Inslee
- Daniel Barajas, Chief Officer for Workforce & Economic Development, Maricopa Community Colleges
- Dr. Richard Daniel, President, Mesa Community College
- Cindi Harper, Vice President of Talent Planning and Acquisition, Intel
- Kamla Kumar, Program Manager, U.S. Apprenticeships, Google
- Ian O’Grady, Policy Advisor, Office of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs
- Leah Palmer, Executive Director, Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute
- Shalondria Shaw, State Apprenticeship Director, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
- Sarah Swanson, Commissioner, Montana Department of Labor and Industry
- Taylor White, Director, Center on Education & Labor, New America
The NGA Center has developed several resources to support Governors’ efforts to advance innovative apprenticeship policy.
- Leveraging Registered Apprenticeship to Build a Thriving and Inclusive Economy: A Playbook for Governors: This playbook outlines seven actionable steps Governors can take to set their vision for apprenticeship and scale program offerings.
- Policy Academy to Advance Youth Apprenticeship: In partnership with New America, the NGA Center is assisting states and territories to develop and implement policy agendas that advance high-quality youth apprenticeship opportunities.
- Advancing Apprenticeship: Opportunities for States and Business to Create and Expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs: This brief, developed in partnership with the Business Roundtable, highlights case studies of Governors and employers collaborating to develop and scale apprenticeship programs.
NGA’s Workforce Development and Economic Policy page provides more information about how NGA is supporting Governors to align workforce and economic development activities across their states and territories.
