Missouri Creates New Office of Apprenticeship
JEFFERSON CITY, MO: In Missouri, the Legislature and Governor’s Office continue to focus on job training and job growth opportunities. Gov. Mike Parson has announced the creation of a new office that will expand and promote apprenticeships throughout the state. Parson signed an executive order that creates the Office of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning within the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.
The new office will engage and coordinate with the U.S. Department of Labor to increase federal apprenticeship opportunities in Missouri, specifically targeting emerging industries and diverse populations. It will also work with all state agencies to implement apprenticeship programs and other similar earn-and-learn programs.
The new office will build on Missouri’s already outstanding track record in promoting apprenticeships. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Missouri ranked second in the nation for new apprenticeships with 10,000 new registered apprenticeships for Fiscal Year 2019. The state also had 3,614 completed apprenticeships in Fiscal Year 2019, which ranked Missouri second in the nation.
In total, Missouri currently has 15,189 active apprentices with 472 registered programs involving more than 3,600 employers. The newly created Office of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning will work to increase the number of participants in apprenticeships and other work-based learning experiences with an immediate goal of 20,000 participants by 2025. For more information on Missouri Registered Apprenticeships, visit jobs.mo.gov/content/moapprenticeships.
Missouri Hunters Encouraged to Share the Harvest – With firearms deer season beginning and Thanksgiving approaching, Missouri hunters are once again being asked to donate a portion of their deer meat through the state’s Share the Harvest program.
This program is administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missourians. Together they coordinate the efforts of thousands of deer hunters, as well as participating meat processors and local supporting organizations, to help feed hungry Missourians. Deer hunters can donate extra venison to participating meat processors, who process and package the meat and then give it to local food banks and food pantries.
Last deer season, thousands of Missouri deer hunters donated more than 259,400 pounds of venison to the program, including 4,855 whole deer. Since the program began in 1992, Share the Harvest has provided more than 4 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians.
Hunters interested in donating should be aware that processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors. Hunters should contact individual processors to determine what funds are available. The cost of processing is the hunter’s responsibility when funds to help cover the full cost of processing are not available. To find participating Share the Harvest processors online, please visit mdc.mo.gov/share.
Hunters wanting to donate venison obtained from counties in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone should be aware they must use approved processors. CWD is a deadly illness of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family. There have been no known cases of CWD infecting people, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends having deer tested for CWD if harvested in an area known to have cases of the disease.
The CWD Management Zone in Missouri includes the following 29 counties: Adair, Barry, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Hickory, Howell, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Mercer, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren, and Washington.
Deer harvested within the CWD Management Zone may only be donated to approved processors participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program located within or directly adjacent to the CWD Management Zone. Find processors participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program online at mdc.mo.gov/cwd under “Share the Harvest.”
Contact Representative Pike at Patricia.Pike@house.mo.gov or call 573-751-5388 with your comments and for assistance on state issues, resolutions, flags, and visits in District and at the Capitol. Contact Legislative Assistant, Matt Glover, at Matthew.Glover@house.mo.gov. Our 126th District Office is open year-round at the Missouri Capitol Monday through Thursday – 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. in Room 404A.
