WINDERMERE, Fla., Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeships Program is proud to announce The Launch of its New “$30 million Apprenticeship Expansion Endowment Fund” and its signature cryptocurrency, Bee2Bee Coin, (BEE) which will support innovative Corporate Initiatives for its Information Technology based Registered Apprenticeship Program. An alternate “Apprentice Coin” will also be co-branded as an NFT with client and employer partners.
Approved and endorsed by the Florida Department of Education and The U.S. Department of Labor, The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeships Program is creating and expanding Registered Apprenticeships and Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) across high-demand fields including Cyber Security, Information Technology, Telehealth/Healthcare, E-Commerce, Digital Marketing, Real Estate, Retail, Fashion, Entertainment, Tourism and FinTech. Current apprentice participants include students from high schools, colleges, and universities across 67 counties in Florida and 9 states and growing from New College of Florida to iconic HBCUs such as Howard University and Alabama A&M University.
The program is also composed of a national and international consortium of businesses, higher education institutions, local workforce development boards, apprenticeship programs and industry partners which are paving the way for Americans from all backgrounds gain IT and IT related skills to qualify for the myriad of vacant high-earning opportunities in the current US workforce. In a new strategic approach, one of the goals of the Network is to strengthen apprenticeship understanding and build capacity by working closely to support local workforce boards to efficiently facilitate The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which supports related training for apprentices.
The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeships Endowment Fund and The Bee2Bee Coin will generate a permanent stream of capital to support the national expansion of The Bee2Bee Network Registered Apprenticeships Program. McCoy Federal Credit Union has been selected to manage the new fund which will help employers build a skilled technical workforce while assisting apprentices gain important financial literacy skills. Apprentices earn as they learn new technology skills, certifications, soft skills in addition to the financial opportunity to purchase and/or earn the Bee2Bee Coin cryptocurrency during their apprenticeship which will serve as a tangible and growing investment vehicle for their future. More importantly, the Bee2Bee Coin may also be utilized to purchase goods and services including real estate via the LifeStyles In 360 E-Commerce Virtual Shopping NFT Platform which the Apprentices are working on.
Since 2011, The Bee2Bee Network Internship/Apprenticeship program has independently financed and provided experiential learning opportunities in STEM/STEAM areas such as Software Design, Development and Emerging Technologies. The Bee2Bee Coin is not only a sustainable and green cryptocurrency investment vehicle for social good, but it also aims to incentivize apprenticeships as a viable career option for the positive personal, professional and financial mobility for its apprentices. For example, as a bonus, every Apprentice is given a Bee2Bee Coin, upon the successful completion of the apprenticeship program and are also prepared for an alternate opportunity to start their own entrepreneurial ventures.
According to Joshua Wilkins, veteran, “This has been one of the greatest experiences that I have ever been a part of. The company has really helped me as a veteran coming out of the military to start my own business. I was very thankful to take the courses for Salesforce certification and earn a salary while I obtained on-the-job training and valuable industry certifications.”
In addition, to partnering with industry giants such as Salesforce and Google, The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeships Program also partners with employers to design, develop and facilitate customized apprenticeship programs which will ultimately ensure that apprentices are paid to learn new skills on-the-job while adding immediate improved performance value for employers. This apprenticeship model is mutually sustainable for both employers and apprentices because it does not require either party to make excessive reinvestments in upskilling and updating industry certifications via traditional education models including wasted travel time away from the job for apprentices. The apprenticeship program model is 100% virtual, provides affordable housing options and offers employers the opportunity to find qualified candidates from all backgrounds. More importantly, the program ensures diversity, equity and inclusion within the technology industry and beyond by supporting high school, college and university students, through graduation including youth, veterans, foster youth, justice involved individuals, and traditionally underserved groups such as women, people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth and rural communities by directly addressing local area technology training and employment needs.
“As thought leaders in the software development and IT/emerging technologies apprenticeship space, our business model is based on creating an innovative and a sustainable ecosystem of highly skilled talent, fair access to new and emerging technologies, direct access to key industry employers and sustainable funding opportunities.
Software development and IT touches every single industry, and as a software company, we are building talent first and software second. Today marks a new day for technology-based apprenticeships and we must pivot and embrace what the market is telling us.” said Yasmine P. Clarke, CEO. “The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeships Program is what the market needs right now, and we are laser focused and uniquely qualified to identify and upskill new talent from all backgrounds.
We started this program in Florida back in 2011 with the grassroots support of local companies. Today, we are a state-wide registered apprenticeship program in 67 counties across Florida, and we have recently scaled to 9 different states and growing. At no time in history has the “Pursuit of Happiness” for All been more attainable than today for our apprentices! Our unique Apprentice Program serves to teach, empower and positively transform the lives of our apprentices including their standard of living. said its Founder, Ms. Yasmine Clarke.
According to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Labor, job openings are currently at an all-time high—11 million—with only 5.5 million available workers as of May 2022. The “Great Resignation” continues with over 4 million workers quitting their jobs. For employers, the challenge is connecting future workers to career opportunities and closing the “training gap” between the skills being taught and those needed by employers.
The expansion of registered apprenticeships can open the doors to individuals who are eager to enter the workforce and provide a way to tap into underutilized human capital. These programs can also bridge the gap between entry level positions that require aptitude, ambition, on-the-job training and a talented workforce who can also earn as they learn.
Registered apprenticeships also have the potential to create greater diversity among a company’s workforce and the ability to put workers who have been displaced by changes in the economy at greater job security and increased career opportunities. – (https://www.businessroundtable.org/.)
The current economy and the high number of high-earning unfilled jobs and lack of skilled workers is impacting employers across the nation and especially in Florida. For example, Workforce Region 12 in Orange County, Florida is home to The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeship Program and technology firms such as Disney, Lockheed Martin, Siemens, Deloitte, KPMG, and Universal. The area is projected to have 24,000 new job openings in the software industry through 2029. Overall, this is a 25.5% growth increase with an expected increase of 31.8% new software development opportunities. These economic conditions provide an excellent opportunity for The Bee2Bee Network Apprenticeship Program which has traditionally utilized the learn and earn model to help employers “build’ their next generation of workers.
New College of Florida Howard University Independence University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Indiana University Bloomington, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Clark University, Full Sail University Valencia College, Rollins College, Borough of Manhattan Community College
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SOURCE The Bee2Bee Network Inc.
