Maine Apprenticeship Council Meeting

September 18, 2014:
TBD

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014 Location: IBEW Local 567. 238 Goddard Rd, Lewiston

Attending: Don Berry, Bob Bourgault, Martha Catevinis, Phil Dionne, Joan Dolan, Jennifer McKenna, Gloria R. Payne, Chris Trider, Brian Watson, Travis Wood Guests: Lyle Hamm, New England Carpenters? Training Fund; Jill Houser Region One USDOL-ETA; Nancy Morgan, New England Carpenters? Training Fund; Allan Shepard, IBEW Local 567

 Chair Don Berry opened the meeting at 9:37am and requested a round of introductions

 Introduction of Guests Allan Shepard, new Training Director for Local 567 is taking over for Don Berry who is moving to the Labor Management Cooperation and Business Development Committee. He anticipates remaining on the Council. Jill Houser invited the New England Carpenters Training Fund (NECTF) to the meeting to update the group on the changes resulting from the merge with the Northern New England District Council of Carpenters (NNEDCC). . New England Carpenters Training Fund Director Lyle Hamm reported that after a two year initiative, they have successfully centralized all New England training funds and apprentice training in Millbury, Mass. Data will be managed in RAPIDS by Charlie McNeil (Region One USDOL) who will also provide Maine registration data for ROI reports. Active apprentices registered to NNEDCC can be transferred to NECTF and others can now be issued Certificates of Completion or cancelled.

The Standards also document NECTF?s work with New England schools to identify exceptional students for participation in their Building Path co-op programs with some contractors where credit is applied toward RA?s. Student progress is generally assessed using hands-on tests. NECTF?s High School Career Connections curriculum of 4 modules (a pre-apprenticeship program) provides some credit towards apprenticeship. The merging of programs has increased outreach. NECTF will be holding an Expo Nov 6th where approximately one thousand Massachusetts students are expected to attend to learn more about crafts.

Discussion: Councilmembers spoke to the challenge of CTE curriculums ? where CTE?s place instructional emphasis on craft aspects that may be employer or certification specific; and that the ?scope of secondary training may be very broad but not very deep?. ABC will host the 15th annual Craft Championships on November 21st at the Civic Center where 1500 HS and JH school students from across the state will be exposed to the craft industry. Exposure is the key to developing interest in the crafts.

 June 19, 2014 meeting minutes Motion to accept made by Councilmember Watson and seconded by Vice Chair Dionne. Council voted unanimously to accept.

 Business & Marketing Subcommittee update Three themes emerged: Process, marketing and funding. We have not identified how pre-apprenticeship will be managed; marketing requires funding and that funding for administration of the program remains a question.

Discussion: The process for registering and administering pre-apprenticeship remains a key issue. CTE?s have differing levels of funding and administrative capacity. Jill Houser shared that some of the work that NH & MA have been doing with the AFL-CIO and some localized funds that focus on STEM jobs to reach the long-term unemployed, women and to break the cycle of poverty. USDOL is in conversation with a national charitable fund, and there may be options on the national and state level going forward. There are different approaches to selling apprenticeship to provide for program instruction, space and administration; to support recruitment, instruction and to program sustainability. Director Dolan shared that through the JDNEG grant, plans are to launch pilot Pre-Apprenticeship Academies in construction, manufacturing and health care. Ensuring the learning translates to credit toward RA needs to be resolved before launch, although if it cannot be resolved, the credit toward apprenticeship and advanced standing will be beneficial.

 Director?s Report
The length of this report has been expanded in an effort to include content mandated by Maine statute. Report items: Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA), $100M Fall Apprenticeship Grant, Business Outreach, Workforce and Education Partner Outreach; General Work Activities, Certificates of Completion issues during the period covered by this report and an accounting of current apprentices and active sponsors. Due to the length of the report, a copy of the Report is attached.

 MAP Policies ? review/discussion/approval The Council has spent the last year reviewing these policies. Councilmember McKenna requested that the Reimbursement for in-house related instruction, presently at $1000 per apprentice per fiscal year, be increased to align with the 1200 training hours her organization requires. Director Dolan would also like to increase the Tuition Reimbursement from $1000 to $1200. Vice Chair Dionne motioned to accept changes, seconded by Councilmember Trider; Council voted unanimously to accept. Several Councilmembers wished to review them one more time.

All final Policy comments should be forwarded to Director Dolan by October 1st. She will send the finalized MAC Policies to all sponsors with a letter that includes a several items MAP needs to communicate unless she receives anything significant. Motion made in support of Director Dolan?s initiative by Council McKenna and seconded by Vice Chair Dionne. Council voted unanimously to accept.

 HOUSEKEEPING One Council seat remains open with the acceptance of Jennifer Boynton from MaineGeneral Medical Center as a Healthcare employer. One Labor seat remains vacant, & the Teacher?s Union or MSEA-SEIU may be an option as a non-trade union representation. As MAP works with the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services to initiate an apprenticeship program in state government, MSEA-SEIU may be a good fit in light of the large potential number of apprenticeable occupations.

Director Dolan expressed a thank you to the Council for their continued commitment and their work over the past 15 months.

Meeting adjourned at 11:20 am

ATTACHMENTS Business and Marketing Subcommittee meeting minutes ? September 11, 2014
Director?s Report June 19 - September 18, 2014 MAC Policies - 2014 (updated) Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) links ? Next meeting: December 11, 2014 Councilmember Catevinis will host at ABC, Inc. Augusta

Attachments