The New York State Department of Labor is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week by handing more than half a million dollars in state funding to help two registered apprenticeship programs in the Finger Lakes region.
Lifetime Assistance, a non-profit serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is getting a check for nearly $300,000.
Rochester Careers and Construction, also a non-profit, which connects people with union construction trades through education, outreach and training, is receiving $194,000.
“Wow, it’s a lot of money. Lifetime Assistance and Rochester Careers and Construction represent two very different types of registered apprenticeship programs, and together you show the kind of variety that New York state has to offer,” said Roberty Reardon, commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor.
The commissioner says registered apprenticeships are a form of higher education that allows New Yorkers to be paid while they learn, something she says is critical to supporting families while growing the workforce for high-demand fields.