It is the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week and Virginia is highlighting some programs helping bridge the skills gap for workers and employers.

The programs, which have been part of the building trades for over a century, remain a cornerstone of workforce development in the state.

Charles Skelly, president of the Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council and business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 666, said in this economy, the benefits of an apprenticeship are unbeatable.

"It's more than just simply job security though," Skelly pointed out. "All of our trades have family-sustaining wages with health insurance, retirement a well-rounded benefits package. So they've got a career that they can take with them most of the time anywhere in the country."

The Richmond program currently trains more than 300 apprentices, with plans to expand to 400 in the coming year to meet the growing demand for electricians. For people interested in joining the trades, organizations like Trades Futures can connect them with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Skelly stressed as people recognize the traditional college pathway is not for everyone, they have long been training the next generation and can even help propel some to learn more quickly.

"The building trades have been doing this for generations and now the community colleges and everybody else is popping up talking about how do we do this? How do we do this?" Skelly observed. "All they have to do is hire union contractors for their projects and we will train the next generation of craftworkers."

For college students, an apprenticeship initiative at West Virginia University has proved effective in retaining learners from diverse backgrounds. A recent Council on Undergraduate Research report recognized the program for improving student retention, particularly among underrepresented minorities.


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More than one in five Coloradans are considered obese, a chronic medical condition leading to serious health risks and a new study links obesity to income inequality, low minimum wages and lack of access to healthy foods.

Sophie Mariam, labor policy analyst for the Colorado Fiscal Institute, said many of the state's most vulnerable workers turn to low-cost fast foods, which are high in both calories and fat, because they cannot find or afford healthier alternatives.

"Lower-income communities and communities of color are more likely to live in food deserts, and more likely to make low wages," Mariam explained. "When folks make a higher minimum wage, they are more likely to have the income that they need to access healthier, more nutritious food for themselves and their families."

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said addressing obesity is not only about encouraging people to change their behavior. They said real change will require creating environments where healthy food choices are the easiest choice. It means giving workers bigger paychecks and improving food access in neighborhoods not seen as profitable for grocery chains.

Colorado's minimum wage, at $14.42 an hour, is the ninth-highest in the nation and a lot higher than the federal minimum of $7.25. But to earn a living wage, a single adult without kids needs to bring in at least $25 an hour.

Despite common stereotypes, Mariam pointed out most minimum-wage workers are not teenagers getting valuable work experience.

"A majority of people earning a minimum wage in Colorado are adults, over 24, who are financially supporting or providing for their family," Mariam emphasized. "It is really critical that these folks have wages that can allow them to be economically self-sufficient."

Colorado lawmakers recently removed barriers for municipalities across the state to increase their wage floor above the state minimum. The city of Boulder recently raised its minimum wage to $15.57 an hour starting next year, which is still far below the city's estimated living wage of $26.36 for individuals.

Mariam hopes the study will be a wake-up call.

"Local elected officials should see research like this as evidence that we need to step up and ensure that minimum wages provide an adequate standard of living for all families across Colorado," Mariam urged.


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Support for programs providing direct cash would benefit families in need in Washington state, a new report showed.

About one in four Washingtonians struggle to meet their basic needs because of low income. The Washington State Budget and Policy Center analyzed two programs currently implemented in the state: the Working Families Tax Credit and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and guaranteed basic income, which is being piloted in some parts of the state.

Leila Reynolds, campaign communications manager for the Washington State Budget and Policy Center and the report's co-author, laid out principles to ensure the programs benefit the most people possible.

"Those principles include making sure that cash programs are targeted to people who most need it; that cash is recurring so that people can depend on it," Reynolds outlined. "Usually monthly; that it's unrestricted so that families can use it in whatever way they need."

The Working Families Tax Credit provides rebates up to $1,255 to low and middle income families. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is a federal benefit administered by the state. The Growing Resilience in Tacoma program is one example of a guaranteed basic income program in the state. It received nearly $2 million from the state legislature in 2023.

Reynolds argued restrictions are holding the programs back, such as the 60 month limit for TANF and age restrictions on the Working Families Tax Credit, which keep young adults without children from benefiting. She noted the public benefits system addresses secondary needs like housing and food assistance but doesn't target the core issue of poverty, which is a lack of cash recipients could be used as needed.

"Research has shown that overwhelmingly recipients of cash transfer programs use that money for essential needs, like food, financial emergencies," Reynolds stressed. "We know that these programs work and we just want to make sure that they're expanded."

Reynolds also notes direct cash programs have ripple effects benefiting society.

"You see health impacts," Reynolds observed. "There's been research that's shown increase in brain activity in babies, improved maternal health outcomes, improved educational outcomes, reducing recidivism, improving employment outcomes."


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State officials in Maine said they are working to expand the number of registered apprenticeship programs to help counter a persistent worker shortage.

The state hopes to add 75,000 workers to the economy over the next five years by growing career pathways in clean energy, health care, and construction.

Joan Dolan, director of apprenticeship and strategic partnerships for the Maine Department of Labor, said the number of available programs has doubled over the past few years and all are currently full.

"There is huge interest and huge need," Dolan observed. "We've been working hard for years to expand our programming and it's really started to take hold and take off."

Dolan said 90% of apprentices who complete their programs are still working for their employer a year after graduation. Studies show they'll earn at least $300,000 more over their lifetimes compared to their peers.

The majority of apprentices in Maine are in the construction industry as federal dollars continue to boost the clean energy sector. The state has worked to recruit more women into the trade along with a growing number of new Mainers. Dolan pointed out even high schoolers are taking advantage, including in the town of Skowhegan, where a group of students is earning income and skills through electrical apprenticeships after class.

"We also have developed bank teller apprenticeship programs," Dolan explained. "There's banks right in the school, so the kids are getting high school graduation credit as well as earning a paycheck and learning a job skill."

Dolan stressed apprenticeships offer lucrative career pathways for students not interested in attending college or for the many rural students who simply cannot afford it. She added anyone can become an apprentice as long as they're at least 16 years old and are committed to furthering their education both in the classroom and on the job.


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