The first step to financial security and social mobility is having access to stable employment and good benefits. The National Urban League launched the Urban Apprenticeship Readiness Program in partnership with the Center for Energy Workforce Development to place participants from Communities of Color to registered apprenticeship programs in clean energy and other industries across urban communities in America.  

Our Approach

The UARP creates employment opportunities for historically underserved, underemployed, and underutilized communities through preparatory training, pre-apprenticeship, and/or direct entry into a registered apprenticeship program. When it was first launched as the Urban Apprenticeship Jobs Program, the focus was broadband infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, transportation, and information technology. 

Our approach is centered on preparatory training, career-readiness, and supportive services to prepare diverse candidates for entry into pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships in constructions, manufacturing, telecommunications, transportation, and clean energy. The foundation of wraparound support includes work assistance with purchase of tools, uniforms, and PPE. It also includes transportation, affordable childcare, life skills and financial acumen, housing assistance, mental health counseling, and expungement & legal aid for the reentry population. 

In 2022, the National Urban League expanded to include and center its focus on registered apprenticeship programs in the clean energy industry. Apprenticeable occupations include 1) Line Workers, 2) Gas Technicians, 3) Power Operators, 4) Cybersecurity Engineers, 5) Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, etc.) and General Technicians in Solar, Wind, Nuclear, and Power.  

Accomplishments

Since its launch in 2016, the UARP has helped set in motion a pre-apprenticeship program focused on the fiber optics industry in Charlotte, NC, and helped Urban League affiliates conduct equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity and inclusion workshops across the country. It is also helping individual participants enroll in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs and establish key partnerships to expand the apprenticeship ecosystem.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Apprenticeship Building America Grant 2022-2026. Equal Employment Opportunity.