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 TA 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

15 Sep 2023

This guide is intended to be a starting point to help state and local workforce professionals understand the key players in the apprenticeship space, what role(s) those partners typically play in supporting registered apprenticeship programs, and how you can play a leadership role in creating registered apprenticeship partnerships that engage those entities.

Link to guide

12 Sep 2023

This Center of Excellence Office Hours provides technical assistance for workforce development boards and education entities regarding becoming a Registered Apprenticeship sponsor. Hear how education providers and workforce development boards can help a business start a registered apprenticeship by becoming a sponsor. Additionally, current sponsors in the education and workforce fields share their expertise in becoming a sponsor.

Link to webinar

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

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

The Center of Excellence provides insight and opportunities to strengthen your knowledge of registered apprenticeship. This webinar will accelerate the impact you’re making in your state and local boards to help employers and job seekers in your area through providing information about system alignment & partnership and co-enrollment & WIOA.

Speakers include: - Katie Adams, Chief Delivery Officer at Safal Partners - Melissa Aguilar-Southard, Director and Subject Matter Expert at Safal Partners

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 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

05 Jun 2023

Katie Adams, Chief Delivery Officer, and Melissa Aguilar-Southard, Director and Subject Matter Expert, from Safal Partners presented on behalf of the RA TA Center of Excellence on Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment at the National Association of Workforce Development National Conference. This presentation will strengthen your knowledge of registered apprenticeship by providing some insight, basic apprenticeship information, and actionable next steps to move forward. Katie and Melissa point out four major knowledge gaps from a recent Workforce System Registered Apprenticeship Baseline Knowledge Assessment Report including funding support through co-enrollment and sharing knowledge about registered apprenticeship.

Link to webinar

27 Apr 2023

 

Moderated by Megan Baird, Deputy Administrator at the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, this webinar features employers and local workforce boards in a frank conversation about what’s working for employers and what improvements can help grow Registered Apprenticeship nationally and at the state level.

Link to webinar 

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 technical 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 webinar

Link to the pdf

29 Nov 2022

As part of its focused work to support system alignment and strategic partnership expansion in Missouri, the Center of Excellence sat down with Dr. Mardy Leathers, Director of the Office of Work-Based Learning in the Division of Higher Education and Workforce Development (DHEWD) to discuss the state's strategic development of a certified pre-apprenticeship framework to accelerate registered apprenticeship expansion. The framework utilizes WIOA funding and builds on the state's in-demand sectors and occupations and can serve as an example for other states.

Link to webinar

10 Nov 2022

This guide is intended to be a starting point to help state and local workforce professionals understand the key players in the apprenticeship space, what role(s) those partners typically play in supporting RA programs, and how you can play a leadership role in creating RA partnerships that engage those entities.

Link to guide

10 Nov 2022

This questionnaire is intended to help you build a network in your area around Registered Apprenticeship (RA). With the information gathered here, your board should be better able to engage with and convene RA stakeholders to expand RA program opportunities. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the USDOL RA TA Center of Excellence “Workforce Board Guide to Identifying Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Partners” publication. This publication and more information on the Center can be found online at dolcoe.safalapps.com

Link to questionnaire

12 Oct 2022

A Colorado manual to train staff and better align with apprenticeship.