The ASME Foundation, the charitable branch of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, has received a $3.975 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to create a national apprenticeship program in mechanical engineering technology. This four-year grant will support the ASME Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), which aims to provide additional education and training for 270 community college engineering graduates, preparing them for entry-level engineering technician roles. The grant period runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2028, with the first training cohort starting in April 2025. Applications will open in January 2025.

The Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America grants, announced on July 11, aim to develop a skilled, diverse workforce to support President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the CHIPS and Science Act. Stephanie Viola, executive director of the ASME Foundation, stated, “This milestone grant addresses the critical shortage of skilled technical workers that puts our national economy at a disadvantage for innovation and progress. Apprenticeships are a proven pathway to well-paying technical jobs for diverse community college students and will help close the engineering employment and equity gap, boost economic competitiveness, and significantly advance global sustainability.”

ASME will collaborate with Stevens Institute of Technology, the National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement, and SimInsights to launch the program. The ASME RAP will engage community colleges, employers, and local workforce boards to help individuals with associate degrees bridge their skills gaps. The program will initially focus on manufacturing and advanced manufacturing roles, with plans to expand into clean energy, supply chains, semiconductors, and nanotechnology over the grant period.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently over three million unfilled technical jobs in the United States, including approximately 3,700 annual openings for mechanical engineering technicians with an average starting salary of $60,000. The employment gap is exacerbated by a severe equity gap, with women representing only nine percent of U.S. mechanical engineers and BIPOC communities only 11 percent. The ASME Foundation’s programs aim to address these inequities by empowering underrepresented groups to pursue technical careers.

The ASME program will use a “Learn While You Earn” approach, contributing to the development of a skilled, retainable, and sustainable workforce. The program includes strategies to address diversity, equity, and inclusion, consisting of 144 hours of related training instruction for participants with a two-year degree in engineering or a related field. Stevens Institute of Technology, accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), will provide the instruction, which will include augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) components developed by SimInsights. Participants will also complete at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning with workforce partners. The National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement will deploy a strategy to build the talent pipeline for strategic industry sectors, including semiconductors.

The $3,975,420 federal grant will cover 85% of the program’s cost, with the remaining 15% (approximately $600,000) financed by non-governmental sources.

The ASME Registered Apprenticeship Program is an extension of ASME’s Community College Engineering Pathways program, which connects community college and career technical education (CTE) students to specialized training, internships, apprenticeships, and jobs. It also provides resources to community colleges to expand their employer networks and align curricula with local and national employer needs. A companion program, HBCU Engineering Pathways, helps engineering students at historically Black colleges and universities expand their professional networks and connect with employers.