WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today announced five Maryland industry associations and labor-management organizations have been awarded grants to develop Registered Apprenticeship programs. The funds are being awarded by the Department of Labor, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed by President Obama this year.

Registered Apprenticeships are based on an ‘earn while you learn’ model that provides a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. Apprenticeships will help develop a pipeline of workers for new and emerging industries, including those related to green technologies.

“These grants help us invest in workers and businesses that are ready for the future. These funds will help build Maryland’s innovation infrastructure and power our innovation economy,” Senator Mikulski said.

The following industries and labor-management organizations headquartered in Maryland have been awarded funding:

• Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Intl Assoc. of the U.S. and Canada, which is headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, has been awarded $622,562. They will use the funding to develop 21st century training curricula for occupations expected to play an important role in meeting the needs of the growing green construction sector.

• Finishing Trades Institute, which is headquartered in Hanover, Maryland, was awarded $622,757 in funds to develop new apprenticeship standards to expand access to training and integrate “green” building standards into its training curricula.

• United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of U.S. and Canada , headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, was awarded $624,300. This funding will help them build a pipeline of workers to address skill shortages in the nuclear and solar power sectors of the alternative energy industry. The grant program will give priority to Native American applicants and expand its hybrid welding program by branching into new occupational disciplines.

• National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, which is headquartered in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was awarded $614,943 in funding to establish the Electrical Trades 21st Century Apprenticeship program. This apprenticeship will implement standards and training in green construction techniques and renewable energy installations.

• International Masonry Institute, headquartered in Bowie, Maryland, was awarded $545,149 to review and revise existing guideline standards for a hybrid competency-based training model. Additionally, it will use the funding to expand its apprenticeship programs to include green building technologies and practices.

The grants were awarded to national industry and employer associations, labor-management organizations and other organizations that demonstrate the capacity to advance registered apprenticeship through the development of new or modified apprenticeship standards. All of these projects will be implemented on a national scale and partner with local educational entities, one-Stops, CBOs and others.

Currently, the Registered Apprenticeship system includes a network of approximately 30,000 program sponsors nationwide, offering nearly 1,000 different career opportunities.