The U.S. Department of Labor formally recognized a new National Standards of Apprenticeship program for the Center for Business Acceleration (CBA) at a signing ceremony on February 12, 2020. The apprenticeship includes certificate programs accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), making it the first ANAB-accredited program for disabled veterans. The apprenticeships will be offered nationwide through employers participating in the U.S. AbilityOne Commission's AbilityOne Program, which provides employment opportunities to more than 45,000 people who are blind or have significant disabilities, including approximately 3,000 veterans.
The apprenticeship includes certificate programs accredited by ANAB to ANSI/ASTM E2659 for business management, quality management, risk management, and a new program for occupational health and safety management. The recognition opens up a new chapter for disabled U.S. veterans who have decided to pursue self-employment careers.
The apprenticeship program facilitates employment of persons with significant disabilities or blindness, including disabled veterans, and supports career and entrepreneur skills in cooperation with opportunities programs supported by U.S. AbilityOne Commission, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, Community Rehabilitation Centers, and other employment options.
"AbilityOne's veteran employment initiative will become the model for providing the skills bridge through apprenticeships for veterans with severe disabilities across the nation," said CBA's President Phillip Selleh during the signing ceremony.
"ANAB is proud to be part of this historic milestone to support veteran careers and their valuable contributions to the U.S. workforce," said ANAB executive director Lane Hallenbeck.
ANAB executive director Lane Hallenbeck and Dr. Turan Ayvaz, ANAB director of certificate accreditation programs, attended the signing ceremony along with representatives of the Department of Labor, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. AbilityOne Commission, and CBA.
About ANAB
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the largest multi-disciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America, with comprehensive signatory status across the multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The ANAB accreditation portfolio includes management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing labs, product certification bodies, personnel credentialing organizations, forensic test and calibration service providers, inspection bodies, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency test providers.
ANAB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system and strengthening its impact, both domestically and internationally.
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.
The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.
About the Center for Business Acceleration
The Center for Business Acceleration (CBA) is a non-profit institution of higher learning that offers multiple curriculum program options that are accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board. The CBA network offers business professionals, entrepreneurs, and employees curricula designed for working professionals. CBA's VA Accelerator is designed to assist veterans with business administration, management, and entrepreneurship.