Sylvia Casaro Dietert

Sylvia Casaro Dietert is the Program Manager at the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, where she helps unions build and expand pathways to family-sustaining careers. She partners with state labor federations, central labor councils, local unions, and workforce intermediaries to grow union-led Registered Apprenticeship nationwide.

Sylvia brings more than 20 years of labor movement experience and a commitment to putting workers at the center of workforce development. She previously managed pre-apprenticeship programs at the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO. Later, as Director of Industry Initiatives for a Local Workforce Development Board, she brought together unions, employers, educators, and community organizations to connect workforce training with access to quality jobs.

Today, she leads national apprenticeship initiatives across advanced manufacturing, energy, hospitality, retail, education, and the public sector. Through labor-management partnerships, philanthropic investment, and innovative workforce strategies, she helps unions strengthen worker-centered training and ensures working people have a voice in shaping the future of their industries.

Sylvia holds a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Social Policy, Planning, and Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Theology, both from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Her work is grounded in the belief that workers’ rights are human rights—and that a strong labor movement is essential to an economy where everyone can thrive.