Aligning Apprenticeship and the Workforce System

Registered Apprenticeship (RA) is the gold standard for workforce development and well-aligned with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). RA provides employers in your state and local community with a proven strategy for developing a strong, sustained talent pipeline for skilled workers while providing job seekers with a pathway to high-demand careers that pay a family-supporting wage.

Access assistance from the Center to increase RA alignment with your state and local workforce development board planning to meet critical WIOA performance metrics by:.

  • providing paid apprenticeship opportunities for One-Stop Center customers which helps you meet Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance measures including 2nd and 4th quarter employed (92% of all apprentices who complete a program are then moved into a permanent, full-time workers and 91% are still with their employer a year out)
  • providing your board with the knowledge that RA skills training meets your local business needs, since it is employer-driven, while giving you the credential performance measure
  • ensuring that higher median earnings after 2nd quarter performance metric is met, especially since apprentices receive a raise during their apprenticeship moving beyond transactional relationships with businesses and giving you a head start on the effectiveness in serving employers performance measure

Engage with the Center by:

Resources

20 Mar 2024

The Investing in America Agenda represents a historic commitment to workforce development with hundreds of billions of dollars earmarked for our nation's infrastructure, semiconductor industry, and renewable energy sector over the coming years. This substantial investment will necessitate the training of millions of new workers in innovative industries to fill these roles.

This presentation, given at the Southeastern Employment and Training Association 2024 Conference, shows the core elements of the Investing in America Agenda, what opportunities exist related to how states can utilize funding opportunities to support registered apprenticeship and how organizations can collaborate to support the implementation of the Agenda while also supporting Opportunity Youth.

Link to PPT

06 Mar 2024

The Center created a draft tool designed primarily to provide local workforce boards with a gauge of potential “levels” of workforce and apprenticeship system alignment. This session is a continuation of walking through the individual levels, with a focus on how local boards have taken next steps to further incorporate Registered Apprenticeship as a workforce solution for local jobseekers and employers.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

21 Feb 2024

Properly implemented supportive services can ensure higher retention rates for apprentices in skilled, nontraditional occupations. However, most Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs don’t have a framework for working with state or federal grant programs or their local workforce development board (LWDB) to access Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and non-WIOA funded supportive services for their youth or adult apprentices. Learn how one CTE Center works with its LWDB and braids state and federal apprenticeship grant funding to provide critically-needed supportive services to apprentices.

As a Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor, the Special School District of St. Louis County’s Adult CTE Department has implemented a promising programmatic model and support service delivery practice for its multi-occupation adult apprenticeship programs, including Certified Nurse Assistant, Certified Medication Technician and Level One Medication Aide, as well as its “Healthcare S.T.A.R.S.” Pre-Apprenticeship program. These practices range from mentoring, case management, and linkages with community services partners to providing financial assistance with childcare, transportation, housing, and utility costs.

This presentation was given during the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) CareerTech Vision 2023 workshop.

Link to PPT

07 Feb 2024

The U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance (RA TA) Center of Excellence on Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment created this draft tool and is seeking feedback. The tool is designed primarily to provide local workforce boards with a gauge of potential “levels” of workforce/apprenticeship system alignment, including indicators and next steps to further incorporate Registered Apprenticeship as a workforce solution for local jobseekers and employers.

Link to PDF

02 Feb 2024

This Center of Excellence webinar, Gauging Registered Apprenticeship Alignment for Workforce Boards, focuses on how Workforce Boards can take steps to align and level up their Registered Apprenticeship activities. The Center created a draft tool designed primarily to provide local workforce boards with a gauge of potential “levels” of workforce and apprenticeship system alignment. This special session walks through the individual levels with a focus on how local boards have taken next steps to further incorporate registered apprenticeship as a workforce solution for local jobseekers and employers.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

12 Dec 2023

Is your workforce board considering how to get started in adopting registered apprenticeship (RA) or supporting RA programs in your area? Have you taken a few first steps but wondering what a higher level of workforce/RA system alignment could look like? The Center has created a draft tool designed to help boards visualize "levels" of RA alignment and self-assess their current alignment status. This special interactive session shares the draft tool and walks through the proposed "levels" of alignment, including indicators and next steps.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

22 Nov 2023

This webinar provides technical assistance for leaders in state apprenticeship efforts to hear promising practices on expanding apprenticeship found in the Center’s recent review of 2020 state plans. Part Three focuses on two key indicators: the inclusion of apprenticeship-specific strategies to meet state objectives and the establishment of apprenticeship-specific metrics to meet workforce needs. 

Link to PPT

Link to Webinar

20 Oct 2023

This webinar is Part Two of the Demonstrated State Apprenticeship Leadership in 2020 Unified/Combined Plans webinar series: Co-locating Registered Apprenticeship Expertise in American Job Centers (AJCs).

This Center of Excellence webinar will provide technical assistance for leaders in state apprenticeship efforts to hear promising practices on expanding apprenticeship found in the Center’s recent review of 2020 state plans.

Part Two focuses on the establishment of the apprenticeship expertise in the AJCs. States that make this investment recognize that having apprenticeship expertise available to both businesses and job seekers directly through their services make a stronger investment toward the inclusion of apprenticeship as a strategy that is relevant to their skill pipeline efforts.

Link to Webinar

Link to PTT

14 Sep 2023

This Center of Excellence webinar provides technical assistance for leaders in state apprenticeship efforts to hear promising practices on expanding apprenticeship found in the Center’s recent review of 2020 state plans.

During this three-part webinar series, you will hear about four leadership indicators. Part-One will focus on the establishment of a collaborative state level work group or a committee to the State Workforce Development Board (SWDB) with a focus on apprenticeship expansion. Establishing these groups or committees to the SWDB may indicate a deliberate effort to establish stronger statewide efforts to increase apprenticeship strategies and opportunities that are collaborative and integrated into business and job seeker services within the workforce system.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

04 Sep 2023

The Center of Excellence shows promising practices for rural areas to sponsor registered apprenticeship. Participants hear steps to take in order to align the workforce system, education entities, and local employers in rural areas when considering related instruction, on-the-job learning, mentorship, employing apprentices, and return on investment when sponsoring a registered apprenticeship.

Subject matter experts from the Urban Institute speak about how rural workforce development boards at the state and local level can help a business start a registered apprenticeship and become a sponsor. Also, rural health care and agriculture grantees speak about their experience with program development, challenges faced and gathering stakeholders support for registered apprenticeship in their areas.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

02 Aug 2023

This webinar provides technical assistance for workforce development boards regarding becoming a Registered Apprenticeship (RA) sponsor.

Safal Partners and FASTPORT subject matter experts speak about how workforce development boards can help a business start a registered apprenticeship and become a sponsor. Additionally, current sponsors from workforce development share their expertise in becoming a sponsor.

Hear how organizations made the decision to become an RA sponsor, best practices for engaging all stakeholders in the process, and hear about the pros and cons of becoming an RA sponsor.

Link to Webinar

05 Jun 2023

During this Center of Excellence Office Hours webinar, we discuss National Workforce Registered Apprenticeship Baseline Knowledge Assessment Findings. Linda Angel, the Deputy Executive Director from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, gives an overview for using Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding for supportive services with their local workforce. Finally, Judy Blanchard, Project Director and Subject Matter Expert at Safal Partners, provides an overview of On-the-Job Training as related to WIOA funding.

Link to Webinar

Link to PPT

03 Apr 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor Center of Excellence on Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment has published the first-of-its-kind, "Workforce System Registered Apprenticeship Baseline Knowledge Report.” The assessment identifies specific registered apprenticeship-related knowledge gaps in the workforce system which will be used to inform the design of field-relevant assistance for the purpose of increased utilization of apprenticeship by the workforce system in serving employers and job seekers nationwide.

Link to Report

08 Feb 2023

Katie Adams, Senior Director at Safal Partners, discusses youth apprenticeship for the California Workforce Association. During this webinar, an overview of registered apprenticeship, partnerships, and opportunities for policy guidance is presented.

Link to Webinar

20 Jan 2023

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (DHEWD) has worked hard to modernize and expand the legacy apprenticeship framework in the state, and to create non-traditional Registered Apprenticeship programs. The Apprenticeship Partnership Team was formed to address the challenges, solutions, and sustainability of RA programs in Missouri. Join us to take a look at the advantages and steps to starting your own Apprenticeship Partnership Team.

Link to PDF