Economic Empowerment Through Apprenticeship.

A few life experiences color my vision of the world which led to the cause. In the late 1980’s my family won the biggest lottery so to speak. Efforts of my parents led us to migrate to the United States. I was not a happy camper with the decision as I already had a great life in Mumbai, India and had entered college. I went to school here, graduated from a university and started my career and family. Houston and Sugar Land become more than home. It’s a sanctuary.

I saw the passage of NAFTA and understood that there are many things that the world outside of US does faster, better and cheaper. I think those should and will continue to happen. Where i think the country went wrong is what happened to those that were displaced. We had no plans for the thousands of skilled laborers. There was a failed experiment with the for-profits schools that left many deeper in debt and with unmarketable skills.

Then in the midst of the recession of 2009, i had clients come to me complaining that they cannot find workers. I was shocked. I said to them, this is the middle of recession and you are telling me you cannot work workers. They always replied, YES. We cannot locate a good skilled welder, pipe fitters, etc. I knew that there was an issue which was sure to be exasperated as the economy improved.

I also noticed that as a society we have an inherent bias towards a four-year degree and a strong bias against trade skills. I believe that those who can, should pursue a four year degree. But there are many who can’t and don’t have interest in pursuing such a path. There are few options for such young people beyond menial retail and fast food jobs.

Lastly, recently there has been another group of individuals that have massive disadvantage. These are highly skilled recent immigrants from countries such as Venezuela, Syria, etc. that have had their lives uprooted not of their own choosing and find themselves not able to prove their skills. There are no universities standing in much of Syria for example to validate their credentials. This group also finds themselves in under-employment situation.

As I looked around, the solution was glaring at me. The notion of apprenticeship is an age-old, tried and true system of training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and accompanying study for licensing or diploma. Working together with our partners - Colleges, Corporations, Governmental Agencies and Non-Profits we can continue to address and enhance the cause of apprenticeship.

At Bright Offerings we work on Advocacy and Action to promote apprenticeship.

Advocacy Objectives:

• Educate general public about apprenticeship

• Address cultural shifts and mindset

• Eliminate myths and bias against skilled labor

• Support legislative and governance initiatives to promote apprenticeships

Action Objectives:

• Assist in establishing and promoting apprenticeship programs

• Identify and provide pool of candidates

• Assist candidates with matching and placing within programs

• Support candidate families through the completion of the apprenticeship program.

• Provide matching grants and ensure candidates have no debt when they graduate apprenticeship programs.

• Identify and provide other support mechanism needed

• Assist candidates with college application process or certification requirements

It is certainly a humbling experience to undertake such a task. It is certainly not possible without the generous support of our donors and phenomenal generosity of time, talent and material resources or our volunteers and partners. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their immense generosity. I am fortunate to have a small part in this experience.