The Kansas Department of Commerce (Commerce) was awarded a USDOL grant in spring 2008. The grant, Registered Apprenticeship WORKS! (RA WORKS!), promotes entry-level certificates in Advanced Manufacturing and Energy and articulates into Registered Apprenticeship opportunities for dislocated workers.
 
RA WORKS! will enhance methods to identify dislocated workers, expand the current Advanced Manufacturing RA program, pursue the development of Wind Energy Technician as an apprenticeable occupation and build training capacity through distance learning.  Partners in the plan include the Kansas Apprenticeship Council, State & Local Workforce Investment Boards, Postsecondary Institutions, Kansas Board of Regents and Business and Industry.
 
The grant pays for qualified dislocated workers to earn multiple industry-related certificates, including the Kansas WORKReady! Certificate, Manufacturing Skill Certificate (MSC), and Energy & Process Industry Certificate (EPIC).  It will also fund the cost of Related Technical Instruction (RTI) for employers with a Registered Apprenticeship program in Advanced Manufacturing or Energy.
 
RA WORKS! was originally piloted in three Local Workforce Areas in Kansas, and all have experienced success with the model.  Now, with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars, Commerce is expanding RA WORKS! throughout the entire state.
 
ARRA dollars will also be used to expand Registered Apprenticeship opportunities through RA Scholarships.  The RA Scholarships program is available to companies and Joint Labor-Management programs that support Commerce’s critical industries which include: Advanced Manufacturing, Aviation, Bio-Science/Animal Health, Energy, Professional Services and Value-Added Agriculture, as well as Construction and Rural Business Succession.  The objective is to provide an incentive to hire dislocated and underemployed individuals into Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in strategic areas of the Kansas economy.
 
RA Scholarships will provide up to $500 per year per apprentice toward the cost of RTI for the first two years of training for any qualified dislocated or underemployed individual.
 
WIA Local Area funds may also be used for supportive services as needed and appropriate for either the RA WORKS! or the RA Scholarships.