$6 million in federal aid for apprenticeships “a game-changer”

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation is deploying six million dollars in federal aid to create 5,300 new tech industry apprenticeships. They give potential workers real-world and traditional learning through a paid work experience.

President Dan Mehan (mee-HAN) calls the investment a game-changer. He says one of the greatest challenges during the ongoing pandemic is training unemployed or underemployed workers. “Apprenticeships will be a very important tool as we work to help get these workers back on the job and likewise ensure that Missouri employers have the talent they need to grow and power our economy,” says Mehan.

Mehan says 94 percent of apprentices are retained by their employers after they finish and the annual salary is not bad either – about 70,000 dollars.