ELEVEN residents completed the CNMI Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program this month and were recognized as the first cohort to do so at a June 6 graduation ceremony at Marianas Beach Resort.
According to DOL’s website, registered apprenticeship is an “industry-driven, high-quality career pathway” where employees can obtain paid work experience while receiving classroom instruction in content related to their work and achieve a “nationally recognized credential.”
In a release, DOL stated that the apprentices received on-the-job mentoring from a work mentor and successfully completed related training instruction.
Employers who participated in the program received 50% reimbursement of the apprentices’ wages.
The graduates are Tasha Deleon Guerrero, Susana Espinosa, Lysa Maratita, Juanita Mendiola, Ramon Agulto, Tyson Elameto, Yoshi Mafnas, Brandon Maratita, Jake Reyes, John Taimanao and Yuko Sharry.
DOL Secretary Leila Staffler called the graduation a “significant milestone in the CNMI’s journey to building a skilled and sustainable workforce.”
“The theme of today’s ceremony, ‘Skills for Today, Leaders for Tomorrow,’ could not be more fitting, as these apprentices have not only developed the skills necessary for their respective fields, but they have also demonstrated the resilience, discipline, and leadership potential that will help shape our community for years to come,” she said. “Through apprenticeships, we are strengthening our economy, ensuring high-quality services, and fostering leadership in industries that are essential to our daily lives.”
She noted that the CNMI has “laid the groundwork” for workforce development since 1983, when it established a fund to provide CNMI residents with training to help them enter technical and professional fields.
“We knew we needed to grow our own skilled local workforce. Unfortunately, the system then didn’t really take off, and our reliance on foreign workers grew,” she said. “Twenty-three years later, in 2006, Public Law 15-5 authorized Northern Marianas College to establish a Registered Apprenticeship Program. This initiative aimed to provide structured training and skill development opportunities to local residents. However, its implementation did face challenges. There was no specified funding source, and there was no collaboration at the time with the Department of Labor, which also happened to still handle immigration.”
Staffler said as a legislator in 2022, she worked with NMC and DOL to designate responsibility for registered apprentices to DOL. Although the legislation was initially rejected, it passed in 2023 when reintroduced by Rep. Denita Yangetmai and was signed into Public Law 23-25.
The law mandates Labor to “directly oversee and expand apprenticeship opportunities across our islands, in partnership with educational training partners such as NMC and NMTech.”
Since then, DOL, through the Workforce Investment Agency, has grown the program to 30 apprentices across eight industries.
Staffler also noted that U.S. citizens make up about 60% of the hospitality workforce in the CNMI, and 69% of the overall labor force, but added that construction “continues to be dominated by foreign labor.”
“We are not done yet. We have a ways to go. We have a goal to get 100 apprentices so we can qualify for more grants and continue to grow the program,” she said. “Help us promote this program so we can reach that goal in the next year — especially in the industries of construction and healthcare.”
For her part, Workforce Investment Agency Director Frances Torres said the graduation marked “years of strategic planning, dedication, and meaningful collaboration.”
“To our awardees: You are the first to complete this journey, but you will not be the last,” she said. “You represent what’s possible when government, education, industry, and community come together. Through the registered apprenticeship, you’ve gained skills for today — and have positioned yourselves as the leaders of tomorrow.”
The 11 residents who completed the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship program were recognized at a graduation ceremony at Marianas Beach Resort on June 6, 2025.
Contributed photo
