Implementing Registered Apprenticeship Programs

The AAI implementation study aims to document the design and operation of grantee apprenticeship programs, identify promising practices and challenges that can inform policy and program design, and provide important context for the other sub-studies. Specifically, it answers the following broad research questions:

• What are the contexts, characteristics, and partnerships of the grantees?
• What strategies and activities are for recruiting employers and registering apprenticeship programs?
• What strategies are for recruiting and supporting apprentices, including underrepresented populations?
• How are instructional and training content developed and delivered?
• For grantees that include pre-apprenticeships, what are the content and structure of the programs?

The primary data source for this report is interviews with grant staff and partners conducted during a spring 2019 site visit to each of the ten grantees. The interviews covered various topics: outreach to employers to “sell” apprenticeship, apprenticeship program development and components, supportive services available, and apprentice recruitment. The site visit teams also met with key grant partners, including at least one employer. If the grantee operated a pre-apprenticeship program, those discussions focused on recruitment, occupational and basic skills taught, support services provided, and pathways to a registered apprenticeship.

(This report is 99 pages long.)

The researchers identified the following findings:

Identifying Industry Needs and Developing Apprenticeship Programs

• Grantees reported advanced manufacturing was an important industry in which to expand apprenticeship.
• Grantees reported challenges developing apprenticeship programs in IT and healthcare.
• Grantees registered more apprentices in manufacturing and construction than in IT and healthcare.

Engaging Employers

• Grantees funded staff to identify employers and assist them with apprenticeship design and registration.
• Grantees identified employers through partner referrals.
• Grantees’ employer selling points focused primarily on worker productivity and customized skill sets.
• Grantee sponsorship or identification of a sponsor reduced employers’ time and effort associated with program development and registration.
• Availability of grant funds to offset Related Technical Instruction and On-the-Job Learning costs facilitated employer adoption of apprenticeship.

Apprentices

• Grantees had some success registering diverse populations into apprenticeships.
• Grantees generally used common recruitment strategies to identify potential apprentices.
• Some employers used apprenticeships to train incumbent workers for higher-skilled occupations.

Pre-Apprenticeship Programs and Pre-Apprentices

• Some grantees described pre-apprenticeship programs as a way to prepare underrepresented populations for registered apprenticeship programs and encourage their hiring.
• Some pre-apprenticeship programs enabled employers and pre-apprentices to determine whether the occupation was a good fit for the potential apprentices.
• Compared to AAI apprentices, a larger share of pre-apprentices were women, as well as younger and more racially diverse.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2021
• Author(s): Copson, Kappil, Gardiner, Clarkwest, Engle, Trutko, Glosser, Webster, Kuehn, Lerman, Shakesprere
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by:
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies