| March 26, 2021 Marty J. Walsh Confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty J. Walsh was confirmed by the Senate as the 29th Secretary of Labor on March 22, 2021. "I am incredibly honored and privileged to serve as the United States' next Secretary of Labor," said Secretary Walsh. "I am grateful for the bipartisan support of members of the Senate, and I want to thank President Biden and Vice President Harris for their confidence in my ability to lead the Department of Labor during such a critical time in our nation's history." Pre-employment Transition Services The Employment First Community of Practice will host a webinar on "Pre-employment Transition Services: Implementation Efforts, Successes and Challenges in Minnesota and Idaho" on April 14 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will review the requirements for pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities, including job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy. The webinar will share how Minnesota and Idaho are implementing the requirements. Autonomous Vehicle Online Dialogue and Forum Series Now through May 5, "Inclusive Design of Autonomous Vehicles: A Public Dialogue" is open for participants to share ideas for the design of AVs to accommodate the needs of people with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities. The U.S. Access Board hosts the dialogue through the Office of Disability Employment Policy's ePolicyWorks initiative. The Access Board is also hosting a series of virtual meetings on making AVs accessible to passengers with disabilities. The next sessions will be held on April 7 and April 21, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. Each session will cover a different topic related to the accessibility of AVs for people with disabilities. The meetings will be open forums for the public and stakeholders to discuss considerations, challenges and solutions in designing accessible AVs. Attendees will be able to pose questions and share comments, suggestions and information. This series is a joint initiative of the Access Board, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, the Administration for Community Living and other federal agencies. Inclusive Community College Career Pathways: Access The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth published a blog on "Inclusive Community College Career Pathways: Access." The blog discusses how two community colleges increased education access for students with disabilities through an Office of Disability Employment Policy grant program. PEAT Newsletter The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology released its March 2021 Future of Work Newsletter. It highlights the Office of Disability Employment Policy's 20th anniversary and PEAT's conference session at SXSW 2021 on "Disability-Led Innovation in Future Workplaces." It also links to resources added to PEAT's "Telework and Accessibility Toolkit." Disability-Inclusive Apprenticeships in the States The National Conference of State Legislatures published a report, "Apprenticeships: A Pipeline for an Inclusive Recovery," that examines state and federal actions to enhance disability inclusion in apprenticeships. The report explains why inclusive apprenticeships can be an effective workforce development tool to aid economic recovery in the COVID-19 response and highlights resources for creating inclusive apprenticeship programs. The report is the fourth and final in a series developed in collaboration with the State Exchange on Employment & Disability on the opportunities and challenges stemming from the pandemic and its impact on the employment of people with disabilities. Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship announced $31 million in funds for Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence. The Centers of Excellence will support the expansion and modernization of technical assistance to Registered Apprenticeship Programs to accelerate and support their growth and diversity. Funding applications are due April 29, 2021. | 
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