More than 2,000 apprentices have been trained through a training program led by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In 2020, the Missouri Chamber earned a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand apprenticeships in support of our state’s fast-growing technology industry. Since that time, the Chamber Foundation has used that money from the Closing the Skills Gap grant program to bring together industry employers from different areas of IT and provide a space where employers can empower each other’s success.
“Missouri’s technology companies are fueling job growth in our state,” said Dan Mehan, Missouri Chamber president and CEO. “We are supporting that growth by providing funding directly to Missouri employers so that they can set up apprenticeship programs. By empowering our employers, we are helping create good-paying jobs and apprenticeship training systems that will last long after the grant funding has been spent.”
Currently there are 2,090 people enrolled in the grant program. Of that total, 925 are people of color, 865 are females, 162 have a disability and 58 are veterans. Our employer partners include: Oracle Cerner, Cyderes, CyberUp, Bitwise Industries, Cognizant, and LaunchCode.
So far, 719 individuals have completed their apprenticeships earning nationally recognized credentials and yielding other life-changing results including permanent employment, salary increases and promotions.
“The apprentices in our program are earning an average of $61,000 annually upon completion of the program,” Mehan said. “We are changing lives through this program.”
By the time the grant program is scheduled to end in 2024, nearly 5,300 apprenticeships will be developed across Missouri and beyond to address critical needs in computer programming, network support, cybersecurity and other IT/Technology shortage areas.
To get involved, contact Katie Kirwan, Missouri grant outreach and project manager, at kkirwan@mochamber.com.
