Monterey Bay Virtual Apprenticeship Workshop
MBEP hosts it’s first Monterey Bay Virtual Apprenticeship Workshop to engage employers on the benefits of apprenticeships
September 11, 2020
This year, we provided employers in the Monterey Bay region with information on creating effective apprenticeships with representatives from LinkedIn, Twilio, and California State Department of Industrial Relations Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Apprenticeship and work-based learning models provide people from all backgrounds with opportunities to learn new skills, advance in their careers, and meet changing employer needs. Apprenticeships play key roles in the effort to build an equitable economic recovery in the months and years ahead.
In addition to partnering with employers across the region, MBEP participates in the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC). At the beginning of the workshop, the BACCC’s new Regional Director of Apprenticeship, Adele Burns, was introduced, who will be serving alongside Regional Directors of Employer Engagement. Burns will serve as the in-region contact for apprenticeship, working with the Bay Area region’s 28 community colleges, as well as employers, labor unions, and others to create alignment around and deliver on workforce training and career pathways related to apprenticeship.
This virtual event provided an opportunity for employers to hear from panelists on the latest information regarding implementation of successful apprenticeship programs in engineering at LinkedIn and Twilio (see presenters’ bios below), how their apprenticeship programs were developed, implemented and plans to expand, and the successful return on investment these companies are reporting with their effective and innovative apprenticeships!
To wrap up the presentations, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Apprenticeship Standards (see presenter’s bio below) provided an overview of their existing registered apprenticeships in multiple industries, such as Information Technology, Healthcare, Civil Service, Advanced Manufacturing, and Financial Services, and benefits for employers to register their apprenticeship program with the state.
The remainder of the workshop included a 15 minute Q&A session with the panelists, answering attendees’ questions about apprenticeship pay, health benefits, relocation pay, hiring expectations, supplemental learning opportunities, remote work and program adaptations due to COVID-19, and how to implement an new apprenticeship program and partner with the state and community colleges. The event ended with a list of local apprenticeship programs in the Monterey Bay region and additional apprenticeship resources (see below).
Presenters:

Shalini Agarwal
Director of Engineering, Engineering Lead for REACH, LinkedIn
Shalini Agarwal is responsible for building the core experience of the Sales Solutions enterprise product. She is passionate about building great software and creating opportunities. She is a leader within LinkedIn’s REACH apprenticeship, a program designed to hire and train non-traditional talent to LinkedIn’s engineering team.

Vivek Nair
Engineering Manager, Education and Training HATCH, Twilio
Hatch is the company’s software engineering apprenticeship program designed to be a bridge to a potential career in tech. Hatch helps Twilio hire and grow exceptional talent from sources that other tech companies may not be considering.

Eric Rood
Chief, California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards
Governor Jerry Brown appointed Eric Rood as Chief of the Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) in August 2018. Eric has served Californians the past 27 years in various roles, including seven years as the Assistant Chief Labor Commissioner. Eric currently serves as Secretary for the California Apprenticeship Council, Secretary for the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship and is serving as an Executive Board member for the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors.
Local Apprenticeship Programs
- Cabrillo College Information Technology Apprenticeships
- Carpenters Training Committee for Northern California –
- Morgan Hill Training Center District Office 5
- IBEW-NECA Tri-County Electrical Joint Apprenticeship
- Monterey/Santa Cruz Counties Building & Construction Trades Council
- San Benito & Santa Clara Counties Building Trades
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 – District 1
Apprenticeship Resources
- APPRENTICESHIP.GOV Design Your Apprenticeship Program
- American Apprenticeships Work 2020 Executive Workforce Study
- California Apprenticeship Coordinators Association CalApprenticeship
- CA.GOV Department of Industrial Relations Start an Apprenticeship Program
- Grow Apprenticeship California
- Institute for Local Government Local Government Apprenticeship & Workforce Strategies
- Jobs for the Future Center for Apprenticeships and Work-Based Learning
- Jobs for the Future Apprenticeships and Work-Based Learning fo IT
- Online Training Course: 5 Initial Steps to Equal Employment Opportunity for Registered Youth and Adult Apprenticeships
- Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship