News Release
FOR RELEASE - November 11, 2020
Contact: Aaron Ellis, Public Affairs Director, aellis@aapa-ports.org
(703) 254-7098
American Association of Port Authorities
Phone: (202) 792-4033
www.aapa-ports.org
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| AAPA Marketing & Workforce Development VP Mary Beth Long |
American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) President and CEO Christopher J. Connor this week issued a proclamation calling upon the hemispheric trade association’s seaport industry partners to recognize the value of apprenticeships, and to encourage industry awareness and expansion of apprenticeship training as part of the sixth anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week, Nov. 8-14.
“Seaport industry employers and their maritime and supply chain industry partners are facing the converging forces of an aging workforce, rapid technology advances, acceleration of rapid ‘on-demand’ distribution of goods, and a decades-long lack of students entering the industry,” said Mary Beth Long, AAPA's vice president of marketing and workforce development. “AAPA strongly supports apprenticeships and related training programs. We’re working with ports and multimodal transportation, distribution and logistics employers nationwide to create apprenticeship-based career pathways that meet employers’ critical workforce needs and pay workers a family-supporting wage."
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor recognized AAPA for its leadership in workforce development. That recognition came in the form of a nearly $6 million "Closing the Skills Gap" grant to coordinate apprenticeships for workers throughout the seaport and transportation, distribution and logistics sector.
“We’re using the grant funds to increase awareness and adoption of apprenticeships as a proven model for structured, industry-aligned worker training,” said Ms. Long.
Further recognition of AAPA’s commitment to professional and workforce development came earlier this week with the announcement of an agreement between the ports association and the International Association of Maritime Port Executives (IAMPE) to collaborate on providing mutually-beneficial educational and career development programming for port industry professionals.
“This country currently faces a skills gap and overall talent shortage in the number of qualified workers to meet the workforce demand across America’s critical seaport industry,” said Ms. Long. “AAPA strongly encourages its members and industry partners to join us in supporting apprenticeship training programs through adoption of, and direct investment and enrollment of their personnel in, workforce and professional development training.”
About AAPA
Founded in 1912 and recognized as the unified voice of seaports in the Americas, AAPA today represents 130 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 200 industry solution providers and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports. Cargo activities at U.S. seaports support nearly 31 million American jobs and account for 26 percent of the U.S. economy, generating nearly $5.4 trillion in total economic activity and more than $378 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2018. To meet the growing demand for trade, AAPA and its members are committed to keeping seaports navigable, secure and sustainable. For more information, visit www.aapa-ports.org. On Twitter: http://twitter.com/AAPA_Seaports
