Alfred B. Valles, state director of the U.S. DOL’s Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training for Hawaii/Pacific, said his office is ready to partner with Northern Marianas College and the private sector to meet the CNMI’s demand for a skilled labor force tailored for its current and future industries.
“The college will be very instrumental in this,” he said. We encourage the college to be one of our partners.”
Valles said there are about 500,000 who are enrolled on apprenticeship program throughout the nation.
He said these people are being trained for more than 1,000 occupations.
The U.S. apprenticeship program connects jobseekers looking to learn new skills with employers who are searching for qualified workers.
Valles said their office has arrangements with thousands of employers in different industries willing to train workers. The federal government also contributes to keep the apprenticeship program going.
In the CNMI, the commonwealth government looks forward to train locals for tourism-related jobs, shipyard building, energy and the gaming and casino industry.
Valles said although it is called apprenticeship, participants actually earn for the work they are performing.
“We’re training people to have decent credentials,” he said.
Edith Deleon Guerrero, the director of the Workforce Investment Agency, said their goal is to empower locals and the youth on labor skills that can help them become productive citizens of the commonwealth.
“It’s time to do this. We have to make a difference for today’s workforce,” she said.
WIA is one of the many local agencies receiving grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the federal stimulus law.
Valles is here to launch the CNMI apprenticeship action clinic. (See story on page 7)
