Skip to Content Accessibility Information

Maryland Registered Apprenticeship Development Advisory Board Meeting Minutes – May 20, 2026

Location: Virtual

Call to Order & Roll Call

  • Meeting called to order and roll taken by Chair Jacob Hsu.

  • Quorum was confirmed.

  • Welcomed newly appointed member Delegate Eric Ebersole.

  • Board members and attending staff from Office of Apprenticeship (OOA) introduced themselves for the record.

    Attendees – Advisory Board Members are noted in bold

    • Jacob Hsu (Chair)

    • Senator Jim Rosapepe: Senate Representative

    • Delegate Eric Ebersole: House of Delegates Representative

    • Donna Edwards: President, Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO

    • Nick Cummings: Baltimore-D.C. Metro Building Trades, Labor Representative

    • Spencer Carroll: Johns Hopkins Medicine, Employer Representative

    • Delegate Melissa Wells: House of Delegates Representative

    • Erin Roth: Assistant Secretary for Labor

    • Chris MacLarion: Director, Office of Apprenticeship (OOA)

    • Logan Dean: Deputy Director, Office of Apprenticeship (OOA)

    • Leza Griffith: Deputy Principal Counsel for Labor, OAG

    • Rachael S. Parker: Executive Director, Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB)

    • Shamara Bownes: GWDB Staff

    • Anupa Geevarghese: Director of Policy

    • Myra Norton: Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee

    • John Ladd: Senior Advisor, Jobs for the Future (JFF)

    • Kassandra McGhee: Jobs for the Future (JFF)

    • Patrick Bourke: Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOC)

    • Mark Howe: Grants Manager, OOA (Minutes Taker)

    • Anahitta Mian: Department of Labor Staff

    • Yolanda Cullen: Department of Labor Staff

    • Office of Apprenticeship Staff – Department of Labor

      Previous Meeting Notes

  • MORAD minutes from the prior meeting March 23, 2026, were formally approved and adopted.

    Old Business

  • (No old business was explicitly brought forward from the March 23 meeting for separate review).

New Business

Director's Report Chris MacLarion provided updates on key enrollment metrics and program growth:

  • Maryland achieved a historic milestone with nearly 14,000 active registered apprentices.

  • Year-to-date, approximately 2,100 new apprentices have registered, with 19.4% in non-traditional/non-construction sectors.

  • Over 900 apprentices completed programs since January.

  • 2200 estimated to graduate in CY 2026.

  • 20 new Registered Apprenticeship Programs have been approved since the March meeting.

    Update on MAIP and Industry Accelerator Grants Chris and Logan provided updates on funding streams:

  • MAIP: Received 47 grant applications (~$760k) supporting around 250 positions. About $650k has been approved across skilled trades, automotive, healthcare, and youth sectors.

  • Industry Accelerator Program: Received approximately 60 proposals. Evaluation is underway, with funding recommendations expected by late June.

  • Budget Note: Assistant Secretary Roth noted $5 million remains to be obligated this fiscal year, despite a 28% drop in federal funding levels.

Strategic Plan & Apprenticeship Growth Discussion The board reviewed the first draft of the MORAD overarching implementation strategy, which focuses heavily on youth enrollment and expanding non-traditional pathways (e.g., healthcare, fire fighters, police, peer counselors). The strategy is built upon three pillars:

  1. Awareness: Target outreach/marketing to sectors unfamiliar with the apprenticeship model (e.g., healthcare).

  2. Capacity Building: Funding intermediaries, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and community colleges to sustain programs at scale.

  3. Program Development: Technical assistance to customize employer-sponsor standards.

    Board Feedback & Critiques:

    • Metrics & Goals (Chair Hsu): Requested clearer KPIs, explicit targets, and defined problem statements to better educate policymakers.

    • High School Integration (Senator Rosapepe): Stressed hitting the state's interim goal of 4,000 youth apprentices. Demanded goals be broken down into clear percentages with assigned staff accountability and quarterly reports.

    • Quality of Outcomes (Donna Edwards / Melissa Wells): Emphasized scaling programs only where real, sustainable, middle-class job openings exist, ensuring high retention rather than just inflated enrollment numbers.

    • Employer Alignment (Myra Norton): Urged a shift toward an industry-focused approach that treats apprenticeship as a direct solution to employer workforce pain points.

      Procurement & Regulatory Updates

    • Procurement Requirements (PRA): Anupa Geevarghese reported that the Department of General Services currently has draft regulations under review regarding broad apprenticeship utilization across state contracts.

    • Case Study: Logan Dean highlighted Nava PBC as a successful model of a state vendor registered as an apprenticeship sponsor.

      Funding Coordination & Stackable Credentials

    • Braided Funding: The Board discussed combining High School CTE funds (via the Blueprint initiative), postsecondary Pell Grants, and federal "Pay for Apprentice" grants to lower employer costs for Related Technical Instruction (RTI).

    • Higher Education: MSDE will soon present on teacher apprenticeships offering 30–33 transferable, stackable credits toward certifications.

      Decision Rachael S. Parker (GWDB) noted a draft plan incorporating stakeholder review will be released by June 4, 2026.

      Other Business

    • The meeting location was held virtually via Google Meet.

    • The Chair concluded the meeting with a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by Senator Rosapepe.

Respectfully Submitted,

Christopher D. MacLarion Director

Office of Apprenticeship, MD Labor