IRSC Selected for AACC National Initiative to Expand Apprenticeships

July 31, 2019 Robert Lane

A leader in workforce development and industry partnerships, Indian River State College (IRSC) has been selected to participate in the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Expanding Community College Apprenticeships (ECCA) Initiative. IRSC is among 56 individual community colleges and eight consortiums, representing 103 colleges chosen nationwide, that will develop registered apprenticeships with employers. The goal of each participating college is to train 150 registered apprentices annually over a three-year period.

“Our selection in this nationwide endeavor to expand apprenticeships is a tribute to the relationships forged by IRSC and our industry partners, and the collaborative and innovative approach we take to developing a talent pipeline,” shares Dr. Edwin Massey, IRSC President. “Participation in the ECCA initiative will further enhance our ability to advance manufacturing and technical workforce training in our region.”

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, AACC seeks to generate 16,000 registered apprenticeships within three years. It will use $20 million in federal funding to help participating colleges define high-quality registered apprenticeship programs. Four key areas—or strands of activities—are at the initiative’s core. These include defining comprehensive terms related to apprenticeships; ensuring that participating colleges are providing clear and consistent information to students and employers about apprenticeships; providing direct technical support to colleges; and working with industry partners to create apprenticeships.

The four strands support these key beliefs identified by AACC:

Apprenticeships offer highly reliable and effective talent pipelines to American industry partners.
Community colleges currently provide industry-relevant, paid skill-development training in applied learning environments.
There continues to be a need for centralized, scalable, equitable, and nimble resources for all community colleges and industry partners who seek to identify and connect with skilled apprenticeship talent pipelines.
The current environment for supporting apprenticeships exists and has been effective, but is not currently expansive enough to support the range of community colleges, industry partners, and students, to fully engage these stakeholders.
By working with AACC member colleges and key partners, AACC can build a sustainable member and industry-driven Expanding Community College Apprenticeships (ECCA) initiative that affords high-quality, industry-validated and member-led apprenticeship experiences to students around the country.

The ECCA initiative is designed and led by AACC, the nation’s foremost association for community colleges.