Apprenticeships as the On-Ramp: Webinar Recap

Across the country, local governments are facing a dual challenge: persistent vacancies in critical public service roles and a workforce that does not yet reflect the communities it serves. At the same time, more than 70 million workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes — known as STARs — are ready to fill these roles but are too often screened out by degree requirements that do not predict job performance. Apprenticeships offer a proven solution: a structured, earn-and-learn pathway that connects talented workers to public sector careers while giving government agencies the skilled, diverse workforce they need. Investment in apprenticeship is growing at every level of government at the same time that a growing number of state and local governments have removed unnecessary degree requirements from many government roles.

The moment is ripe to build skills-based pathways to public service — and apprenticeships are a powerful way to do it. This session brings together leaders who are doing exactly that, featuring a panel including: Patrice Madu, Managing Director, Per Scholas Sherri Jones, Office of Workforce Development, City of Charlotte Walter Tucker, Executive Advisor, Los Angeles County Internal Services Department And learn how Opportunity@Work’s STARs Public Sector Hub is providing the tools, research, and partnership infrastructure to help more agencies launch and scale apprenticeship programs.

You can watch a recap of the webinar here.

You can download the slides here: Apprenticeships as the On-Ramp