CAEL and Apprenticeships for America Announce Joint Membership

INDIANAPOLIS – CAEL, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping adult learners navigate pathways between education and employment, and Apprenticeships for America (AFA), a national nonprofit coalition working to expand access to high-quality apprenticeship programs, have announced an agreement creating seamless links between their memberships. 

CAEL members are dedicated to championing the needs of adult learners and workers, ensuring they have resources and support necessary to navigate pathways between education and employment. AFA members strengthen the ability to engage with and influence polices that expand high-quality apprenticeship. This collaboration strengthens both organizations’ ability to drive meaningful change, ensuring education and apprenticeship systems are well aligned to support adult learners and workers. 

“The apprenticeship model creates rewarding links between learning and work, so it intersects with CAEL’s mission in many ways,” said CAEL President and AFA Board Member Earl Buford. “This joint membership opportunity will only strengthen those ties as more educators and employers are embracing apprenticeships as a time-tested solution that can also inspire fresh perspectives on modern workforce development and economic mobility. Rather than pitting competencies against credentials, they sustain parallel pathways, meeting adult learners and workers where they are and giving them more agency in getting where they aspire to be, whether in a career, an education, or both.”

“Amid a polarized policy environment, apprenticeships offer a rare opportunity to bridge the partisan divide,” said John Colborn, executive director of Apprenticeships for America. “This joint membership program will add to the momentum we have created around scaling apprenticeships and their great potential to support individual success, a skilled and thriving workforce, and community prosperity.”

CAEL members who join AFA will have access to the following resources AFA offers members to increase their capacity to help current and future workers prepare for the evolving job landscape:

• AFA newsletter/digest.
• AFA-hosted informational webinars.
• AFA analysis of government proposals (legislation and regulation).
• Voice at the table as AFA works on policy development, advocacy and communications campaigns. 
• Discounted access to AFA events.
• Opportunities to participate in working groups. 

AFA members who join CAEL will gain access to the entire CAEL Member Benefits Suite, including:

• Networking opportunities with a membership of 5000+ Individuals.
• Multiple professional development offerings, including microcourses and instructor-led series.
• Online Community Hub and various communities of practice.
• Member-only webinars focusing on timely and relevant topics.
• Early access to research, reports, and grant opportunities.
• Newsletters, blogs, articles, and reports dedicated to those who work with adult learners and workers.
• A comprehensive Resource Library
• Discounted member rates on events and professional development.

Effective through May 31, 2025, CAEL members can sign up for a complimentary AFA membership valid through Dec. 31, 2026. During the same period, AFA members can purchase a CAEL individual membership at a 50% discounted rate. Organizational and institutional discounts are also available. 

The number of active participants in registered apprenticeships in the United States has more than doubled since 2014. The joint membership program will create new opportunities for CAEL members, many of whom already work with apprentices, to support AFA in sustaining and accelerating this growth. In addition, during CAEL’s annual conference, which will be held in Memphis Nov. 11-14, CAEL and AFA will be hosting a preconference workshop highlighting the urgency and ramifications of scaling the impact of apprenticeships through such collaboration. 

CAEL members who wish to join AFA under this program should contact membership@apprenticeshipsforamerica.org. AFA members who wish to join CAEL should contact membershipservices@cael.org. 

About CAEL
Recognizing that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, CAEL helps forge a clear, viable connection between education and career success, providing solutions that promote sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to opportunity in collaboration with workforce and economic developers, postsecondary educators, employers and industry groups, and foundations and other mission-aligned organizations. By engaging with these stakeholders, CAEL fosters a culture of innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their communities thrive. A national membership organization established in 1974, CAEL is a part of Strada Collaborative, a mission-driven nonprofit. Learn more at cael.org.

About Apprenticeships for America
Apprenticeships for America (AFA) is a national nonprofit whose mission is to scale apprenticeship in the U.S. beyond traditional construction trades, provide career options, and widen direct paths to rewarding careers benefitting America's workers and helping employers grow their businesses with skilled workers. Following the examples of more successful developed country competitors such as Australia, Canada, and the UK, AFA is focused on the critical role played by intermediaries (such as industry associations, community colleges, workforce boards, nonprofits, labor organizations, staffing, and business services firms) in building and operating apprenticeship programs for employers. AFA has built and mobilized a robust network of over 200 apprenticeship intermediaries, recruiting and incentivizing employers across growing industries and occupations and actively assisting them in developing, operating, and sustaining quality apprenticeship programs.

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