National Institute for Innovation and Technology President & CEO Michael Russo Appointed to U.S. Labor Secretary's Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA)

Russo will serve a two year-term as an employer representative on the ACA, working to advance Registered Apprenticeships (RAs) and skills-based learning in advanced manufacturing

HANOVER, Md., March 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In acknowledgment of his decades of subject-matter expertise in workforce development and semiconductor manufacturing, the National Institute for Innovation and Technology's President & CEO Mike Russo was appointed this week to the U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor's ACA.

Through Russo's leadership, the Institute serves as the nation's leader in semiconductor talent pipeline development and the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) national Intermediary responsible for establishing RAs throughout semiconductor and nanotechnology-related industry supply chains.

Russo was appointed as an employer representative on the committee, alongside 29 other members with expertise in the apprenticeship and workforce development space, including representatives from the Center for Energy Workforce Development, the National Center for Women's Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment, the Machinists Institute, the National Education Association, the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, and the National Urban League.

"It is an honor to be appointed to the Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su's advisory committee for apprenticeships. Throughout my career working with labor unions, private companies, educational and governmental institutions, and now through my work at the Institute, I have been a strong advocate for foundational, skills-based learning that helps workers to move into high-value careers, while bolstering our nation's talent pipeline for strategic industry supply chains like semiconductor and advanced manufacturing," said Russo.

"The newly appointed members of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship offer unique perspectives, which the Department of Labor will leverage to develop strategies that drive innovation in apprenticeship. The committee represents a broad range of industry and sector knowledge that the department can harness to continue to improve, diversify and modernize the national apprenticeship system," stated Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su in a USDOL announcement.

To date, the Institute has supported the development of 85 Registered Apprenticeships in 17 states with over 4,800 apprentices committed to its programs, leveraging partnerships with regional stakeholders and a national network of community colleges as Required Technical Instruction (RTI) providers, as well as the organization's National Talent Hub to advance that mission.

Among those is the Institute's work with the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in California to develop and launch the state's first semiconductor Registered Apprenticeship program(s) through its Growing Apprenticeships in Nanotechnology and Semiconductors (GAINS) program. The community college district worked alongside industry employers, the Institute, and other stakeholders to create the RA program. The district's Chancellor Lee D. Lambert was one of the 30 individuals appointed to the committee.

As a committee member, Russo will leverage his expertise to provide advice and recommendations to the Labor Secretary and inform policy decisions on how to best leverage RA training models with the goal to improve access to rewarding career pathways for U.S. workers. 

About National Institute for Innovation and Technology President & CEO Mike Russo

Russo is the President & CEO of the National Institute for Innovation and Technology; a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to identify roadblocks to innovation in strategic industry sectors and ensuring they are eliminated. Under his leadership, the Institute is responsible for executing the strategy to develop the nation's talent pipeline for tech-based industries and advanced manufacturing with a major focus on the semiconductor sector and nanotechnology-related industries.

Prior to the Institute, Russo served for more than a decade in senior leadership positions in the semiconductor industry in policy development, government affairs and the development and execution of strategies to support infrastructure and workforce development.

Russo has also served as a private sector advisor to the U.S. government in the areas of manufacturing and industrial base policy and lead the private sector advisory group for the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation Institute (now Manufacturing USA) under the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP). Russo has also served as a senior staffer in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

With more than three decades experience in manufacturing, Russo is a subject-matter expert in skills-based learning and has extensive experience in workforce and organizational development, supply chain innovation and security, and infrastructure development.

About the National Institute for Innovation and Technology

The Institute is a 501(c)(3) with a mission to identify roadblocks to innovation in strategic industry sectors, those important to the U.S. national security and global competitiveness, and ensure they are eliminated. The Institute is responsible for a national strategy to support the development of the talent pipeline required to support strategic, tech-based industries and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on the Semiconductor Industry. The Institute's National Talent Pipeline Development Initiative represents that strategy, and is a comprehensive, nationally integrated approach that enables broader participation by promoting skills-based learning and hiring, connecting the public education system, returning service members and their families and adults from other occupations to related technician and engineering careers.

The Institute is the U.S. Department of Labor's Industry Intermediary responsible for developing and expanding Registered Apprenticeships throughout the semiconductor and broader nanotechnology related industries and their supply chains Since work began under the USDOL contract in 2022, the Institute has engaged 85 employers to establish similar RAPs in 17 states and has over 4,800 apprentices committed to its program. The Institute established the first semiconductor-specific RAs in the nation under its GAINS program, or "GAINS", which are designed to better fit the requirements of today's tech-based careers and advanced manufacturing, easing administrative burden and providing opportunities to scale for employers with multiple sites and other job occupations.

For more information about the Institute, visit www.niit.org.

SOURCE National Institute for Innovation and Technology