EmployBridge Becomes One of the Nation's First Staffing Companies to Sponsor a Temporary-to-Permanent Staff Apprenticeship Pilot in Partnership with U.S. Department of Labor

ATLANTA, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EmployBridge will celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (November 12-18) by launching several groundbreaking apprenticeship programs, including one of the nation's first temporary-to-permanent staff apprenticeship pilots sponsored by a staffing company and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Office of Apprenticeship. Through the unprecedented apprenticeship model, EmployBridge is providing temporary workers new opportunities to gain skills and permanent employment by piloting a new standard for government-backed apprenticeships.

Forging a New Model for Apprenticeship Programs

EmployBridge has been approved to conduct a one-year Advanced Manufacturing pilot apprenticeship program under a brand-new model, in partnership with its client Hypertherm Inc. of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Under the pilot program, temporary associates are hired and employed by Westaff (an EmployBridge franchise subsidiary) and will receive training and mentoring as industrial manufacturing technicians and assemblers with Hypertherm. Once the apprenticeship is complete, enrolled workers may receive a USDOL apprenticeship certificate from the Office of Apprenticeship. At any time during the apprenticeship, an associate's employment status could change from temporary with Westaff to permanent employment with Hypertherm.

"As the government seeks to expand work-based learning for Americans in order to combat skilled labor shortages, this game-changing apprenticeship model and pilot lays the groundwork for thousands of new employment and upskilling opportunities," said a representative from the Office of Apprenticeship in Concord, New Hampshire. "Through this innovative pilot, EmployBridge and its subsidiary Westaff, are pioneering a new partnership with the DOL that stands to greatly advance the mission of Registered Apprenticeship programs in meeting job creators' needs for skilled labor."

Once completed, the pilot program could greatly accelerate the growth of USDOL-backed apprenticeship programs, providing high school and college graduates the opportunity to learn high-paying skills and a much-needed solution to the shortage of skilled labor across the country. In addition, employers who participate in these apprenticeship programs will create a pipeline of skilled, well-suited employees specific to their company's needs, helping to fuel their future profitability.

EmployBridge to Launch Its Own Apprenticeship Program

Also, as part of the National Apprenticeship Week celebration, EmployBridge announces the first-ever set of standards for a leading national staffing company to serve as a Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor for its internal employees. Illustrating the company's commitment to furthering apprenticeship opportunities throughout the country, EmployBridge will launch a USDOL-backed apprenticeship program for its internal employees, mentoring and training more than 200 personnel supervisors.

"We're thrilled to have worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to create one of the staffing industry's first set of standards for registered apprenticeship programs," said Joanie Courtney, president of EmployBridge's professional division and chief marketing officer. "In addition to the pilot program for our temporary associates, we will also leverage the vast power and potential of apprenticeships within our own organization by offering USDOL apprentice programs to upskill more than 200 of our internal staff. This partnership lays the groundwork for other staffing firms to conduct similar programs as EmployBridge leads by example in promoting the importance of apprenticeships to upskill and train American workers."

According to EmployBridge CEO Tom Bickes, "We believe each of these exciting programs will help pave the way in encouraging more labor participation, filling key gaps in the skilled labor market, and greatly expand important apprenticeship and upskilling opportunities for U.S. workers. As a leading staffing company, not only is it our passion to improve the work and personal lives of today's workforce, we feel it is our duty to invest in solutions that effectively combat the nation's shortage of skilled labor and more than 40-year low in labor participation. We are thrilled to be working with the USDOL to further our joint mission of building a stronger workforce for American employers."

As part of the National Apprenticeship Week celebration, EmployBridge will host two signing ceremony events alongside the USDOL Office of Apprenticeship. Details of the events include:

• On November 12, at the EmployBridge corporate office in Atlanta, representatives from the USDOL Office of Apprenticeship and EmployBridge CEO Tom Bickes will celebrate the launch of EmployBridge's internal Registered Apprenticeship program.

• On November 13, at EmployBridge's Westaff office in Lebanon, New Hampshire, representatives from the USDOL Office of Apprenticeship and Westaff customer Hypertherm, as well as members of the EmployBridge executive team, will celebrate the launch of the groundbreaking temporary-to-permanent staff pilot apprenticeship program.

About EmployBridge

As workforce specialists, EmployBridge provides value-added workforce solutions and job opportunities through focused specialty divisions including ResourceMFG, ProLogistix, ProDrivers, Select, RemX, Westaff and Remedy. Combining the advantages of national scale, in-depth local market knowledge, industry-specific expertise and powerful recruiting and retention tools, EmployBridge is recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as America's largest industrial staffing firm. The company puts more than 86,000 people to work each week across a network of 500+ offices in 48 states and Canada. In 2017, EmployBridge provided more than 164 million work hours to 10,000 clients, generating more than $3 billion in revenue. For more information, please visit www.employbridge.com.

Media Contact: Ken Christensen (678) 534.2346

SOURCE EmployBridge

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