Implementation of Apprenticeships: Evidence from Two Federal Grant Programs

• In Event: Context Matters: Opportunities and Lessons from Adapting and Scaling Apprenticeships Across Service Environments

Abstract

This paper will summarize findings from the implementation of the US Department of Labor-funded Scaling Apprenticeship and Closing the Skills Gap grants. These grants are part of a larger DOL effort to expand apprenticeship in sectors with high demand for skilled workers, including information technology, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare (that is, non-traditional sectors), and to a wide range of Americans, including veterans, un- and underemployed, and individuals underrepresented in apprenticeships. The 48 grantees were colleges or other institutions of higher education (IHEs), industry or employer associations, labor unions, and workforce intermediaries. Grantees could support registered and unregistered apprenticeship programs. Unregistered programs supported by the grants had to meet specific criteria and thus shared certain characteristics with registered programs. In addition to apprenticeships, allowable grant activities included other training, assessments related to training, and case management. Colleges reported success through recruiting students interested in developing occupational skills from nondegree and experiential learning programs. Other common apprentice recruitment partners were American Job Centers and employers.  Grantees successfully created and expanded apprenticeship programs in nontraditional occupations, with information technology (IT) the most common industry. Collectively, grantees engaged over 8,300 employers to participate in apprenticeships. More grantees supported registered apprenticeship programs than unregistered programs, but the two program types shared many characteristics employers described as important. Although most apprentices were men, larger shares of apprentices in these two grant programs were women, Black, or Asian relative to registered apprentices nationally. Apprentice retention strategies included targeting participants with the skills to succeed and providing robust supports. Policy implications include grantees used the flexibility afforded to implement registered or unregistered programs. Future grant programs might consider the occupational focus when providing flexibility to register or not register programs; for some occupations, unregistered programs are unworkable. Different types of grantee organizations have unique attributes for reaching program goals and DOL may want to fund a mix of grantee organization types in the future. Varied employer recruitment messages and strategies recognize employers' varying motivations to adopt apprenticeship.

Author

• Karen N Gardiner, Urban Institute
  Presenting Author