As part of National Apprenticeship Week, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® will show its support with actions that highlight the importance of apprenticeships as a solution to adapt to changing workforce demands. 

CTA will host a virtual discussion featuring members T-Mobile, Alarm.com and Bosch on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. ET. CTA Director of Strategic Alliances, U.S. Jobs Jackie Black will moderate the discussion with Christina Arnone, senior program manager, apprenticeship programs, T-Mobile; Chris Morgan, apprentice program lead, Bosch; and Victoria Schillinger, vice president of human resources, Alarm.com. 

During the event, the experts will discuss how apprenticeships help their organizations meet the demand to find and retain skilled talent as well as create a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The conversation will also focus on how apprenticeships can help the workforce and economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Apprenticeships provide opportunities to prepare American workers for careers in fast-growing fields such as data analytics, software development, project management and artificial intelligence,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA, in a proclamation submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor recognizing the importance of preparing and maintaining a highly skilled workforce that can meet the needs of the technology industry. 

A recent CTA Future of Work Study found technology companies large and small face difficulty finding candidates with the right skills. To fill these positions, more employers (24%) plan to hire from train-to-hire programs such as apprenticeships, according to the survey. 

CTA also released an apprenticeship white paper, which provides guidance for companies in developing apprenticeship programs to help close the skills gap and prepare the workforce of the future.