On Tuesday, Feb. 18, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest announced that NC State has received a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor aimed at creating apprenticeship programs for workers interested in artificial intelligence. The $6 million award is part of a set of Department of Labor grants totaling to approximately $100 million offered to 28 tech programs across the country intended to train underemployed IT professionals to fill tech jobs left unfilled due to lack of skilled labor.
The grant seeks to offer around 5,000 apprenticeships ranging from 20-40 weeks as an alternative or supplement to pursuing a four-year degree for workers already in the industry. With the cost of a four-year degree at NC State exceeding $20,000 a year, this apprenticeship provides workers and employers a cost-effective and time-efficient way to fill unfilled AI jobs around the country. According to The News & Observer, Scalia said “[Apprenticeships] are a way for people to enter the workforce and acquire skills, while supporting themselves financially at the same time.”
Increasing automation and further movement of the U.S. toward a service- and tech-based economy means that jobs with AI are opening quickly nationwide. Dozens of private sector firms are pledging support and matching contributions such as this.
Since practically no one at NC State is complaining about our school receiving federal grant money, I think it is important to praise precisely why this grant demonstrates good use of taxpayer funds.
The federal government spends billions of dollars on education and labor; the DOE and DOL have a combined budget of $77.7 billion dollars, so creating these apprenticeships represents a small portion, yet each dollar spent on these 5,000 apprenticeships will likely create more value for firms and workers than if the government offered further subsidies for students to get four-year bachelor’s degrees. For someone already in the industry, going to school for four more years would involve tons of remedial learning and completion of general education classes employers do not necessarily care about.
With the program offering learning opportunities unique to each student in order for apprentices to get knowledge and certifications in the industry within a short span of time, it’s easy to see why the private sector has shown support in the form of matching contributions. Since the private sector funds such a large portion of the program, it can be assumed these firms will have lots of influence over the skills apprentices will develop. These apprentices are going to get jobs, and the firms will gain workers who have the skills they desire.
With expensive and time-consuming four-year degrees offering a questionable return on investment in recent years, I think apprenticeships offer people who want good, paying jobs a viable alternative to college. If the government diverts funding from traditional, less efficient ways of training workers toward programs such as the “Artificial Intelligence Academy: North Carolina Apprenticeships for Innovation” program here at NC State, I believe workers and the economy as a whole will benefit. The best way to provide workers with the skills needed to meet the needs of private industry is for private industry to influence how these skills are taught.
