[{"content":{"text":"Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Nancy Walker joined us at our Station Square office to host an apprenticeship forum and hear from members of the Pittsburgh Technology Council<\/a><\/u>. The topic of the forum was apprenticeship programs: why they matter to the community, what makes them successful, and how they can help Pennsylvania employers find and hire highly-skilled workers.<\/p>"},"id":"493301b8-23b1-4712-aa84-e67749414bdc","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/YveXvlyoMgoBcCk6"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"989eec3a-d37e-4d65-8062-9aa09b5c8969","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":"One highlight from the forum was a conversation around proposed investments in Governor Josh Shapiro\u2019s budget<\/a><\/u> to expand apprenticeship opportunities. Governor Shapiro\u2019s budget proposes an investment of $3 million to cover costs related to in-classroom instruction that will complement the on-the-job learning found through apprenticeship programs.<\/p>CEO Jesse Schell delivered remarks about our own apprenticeship program, the Schell Games Apprenticeship Program (SGAP)<\/a><\/u>, with the Community College of Allegheny County<\/a><\/u>. The program is a blend of classroom study (20 hours per week) and paid on-the-job training (20 hours per week). Schell Games pays the full tuition for selected apprentices and compensates them for their on-the-job training.<\/p>"},"id":"02d65337-a77f-4cb6-b82f-8f5da649c8ca","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/vvtsn01ITFy6yDXh"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"62415065-7c43-4500-b5aa-c82217323fb0","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Photos courtesy of PAcast.<\/a><\/u><\/p>"},"id":"57ac3c84-a6ea-44ab-bb5a-c1a513edde45","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"}]