Greater Cleveland Partnership has been awarded $5.8 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a Registered Apprenticeship Hub in Cleveland.
This effort requires a dedicated team of apprenticeship navigators to aid in program onboarding and administration.
Eight positions are open.
Mike Glavin, Senior Director of Talent Solutions at GCP, is leading the charge on this initiative and has graciously spent some time answering questions about these amazing roles.
First off, could you explain the goal of the Registered Apprenticeship Hub initiative?
Establishing this Hub is a component of our All-In Plan for the region, particularly creating a regional system and a culture for building Abundant Talent, a culture among employers that centers work-based learning and Registered Apprenticeships (RAPs) as an essential part of talent development that they’re proud to share with jobseekers and industry peers.
Why is it important this Hub is being established here in Cleveland?
It comes down to three things- Cleveland has great talent, great employers, and the component parts of a talent ecosystem to make significant strides in achieving a thriving and inclusive workforce. Most of our region’s great talent hasn’t had the privilege to complete higher ed credentials that lead to great careers. Through this Apprenticeship Hub, employers hire for skills and train for success, systems can be better aligned, supports are built, and this network of components can be expanded to create a successful ecosystem. Ultimately the system will perpetuate itself, where the apprentices of today become the journey-workers and mentors of tomorrow!
You will be hiring for multiple roles to staff this initiative. Could you explain the structure of the team and how these roles work together?
There are three parts of the staffing model for this grant- the Program Manager, Employer Navigators, and Workforce Navigators. They will work as one team, with each person bringing their individual skills to the table that benefit the team.
The Program Manager will be responsible for building out the intermediary functions of our Registered Apprenticeship Hub, including developing standards, identifying/vetting/approving technical training, building out models for braided funding to support that technical instruction, managing grant reporting functions, and developing technical assistance components of new RAPs in partnership with outside vendor support.
The Employer Navigators will engage employers to get their commitments to implement RAPs, in IT, Healthcare, Insurance, Banking, Hospitality and Real Estate, and help those employers implement them successfully through coaching, support, identifying resources, and connecting them to pre-apprenticeships.
The Workforce Navigators will build collaboration and alignment amongst the differentiated actors in the workforce ecosystem around pre-apprenticeship programs. The pre-apprenticeships will open the funnel of jobseekers that are excited and prepared to make RAPs the next successful step in their career.
What skills do you need to succeed in these roles? Who is an ideal candidate?
We want people who are really hungry to learn, can work independently, and are naturally curious about innovating apprenticeships. The most important quality in a candidate is Passion- passion for taking the community to the next level when it comes to accessing great careers, building wealth, and transforming what our workforce looks like to reflect the community at large.
Other important qualities for these roles are:
Entrepreneurialism: Employers are constantly getting pulled in different directions. Navigators need to be able to grab their attention, help them understand the value of this system, then help to make Registered Apprenticeships work for them.
Leading from behind: The ideal candidate doesn’t let challenges stop them and demonstrates perseverance, tenacity, and a sense of hustle to exert influence and get results with companies and organizations that don’t yet know the value of apprenticeships.
Fearlessness: Navigators will often be connecting with employers at the executive level and will need to feel confident promoting the benefits of RAPs and gaining their support.
Attention to Detail and Self-Management: Systems change can be ambiguous work and federal grants require diligence and attention to detail in data collection and performance reporting to validate the team’s work.
5. What will candidates learn by doing this work?
People who join our team will learn more deeply about how Registered Apprenticeships can add value to companies and build stronger pathways for job seekers to find great careers. They will also learn about the wider workforce ecosystem with all of its many stakeholders, and how much better it can work for Northeast Ohioans. In their roles, candidates will learn to innovate on the fly — thinking of new ways to bring industry-specific technical instruction to people in ways that traditional models haven’t solved for. Also, team members will learn how a large federal grant works and is executed.
Outside of what is learned in a specific role, being a part of GCP is a really cool learning experience every day! I get to learn about exciting careers out there in the world (often that I didn’t know existed) and how valuable different jobs are to their greater organizations.
How will someone have an opportunity to make a difference in the community?
Not only will these roles impact the community by creating greater opportunity and equity in the workforce, but the GCP Apprenticeship team will also have a significant impact on how we do business in the region! If we create a world-class ecosystem and a nationally recognized center of excellence for innovative and successful Registered Apprenticeships — that’s something that will attract employers from outside of the region and encourage those already here to grow with confidence.
For those looking to start or grow their career with these roles, what kind of trajectory or career path would this prepare them for?
In time, they are going to be recognized subject matter experts on Registered Apprenticeships and will have been on the front lines of true systems-level change in our workforce landscape. In an ecosystem that culturally values the structure of Registered Apprenticeships, the GCP Apprenticeship team will be highly valuable. We intend to expand this work past the life of the DOL grant. We are building a sustainability model into this entire project, so we will be able to continue running and expanding the ecosystem into the future. This is just the start of an entire ecosystem and culture built around the RA model that employers from all industries and hundreds of occupations can plug into, and that talent coming up the pipeline will want to connect to.
If you are curious about these opportunities to drive systems change and create Abundant Talent in Northeast Ohio, take the leap and apply today by visiting Careers — Greater Cleveland Partnership!
