(U.S. Dept. of Commerce: Washington, D.C.) -- During the recent White House Apprenticeship Summit, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the first-ever effort to document the return on investment for U.S. employers using registered apprenticeships. The Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation will support a partnership between Case Western Reserve University and the Department of Commerce’s Economics and Statistics Administration to conduct the study across multiple sectors.

“Hard data are critical to making the business case for expansion of apprenticeship models,” said Pritzker. “As part of the Commerce Department’s ‘Skills for Business’ initiative, we believe this rigorous study will be an essential tool to communicate the value of these programs to industry. We are collaborating with Case Western Reserve University to ensure that our training programs prepare workers for the jobs of the 21st century, and to help achieve President Obama’s goal to double the number of registered apprenticeship programs in the United States.”

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