The
U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration
supports Workforce Investment Boards taking steps to expand
and improve apprenticeship programs. Here is a quick review
of how jointly administered union-employer apprenticeship
programs operate, the benefits of the model, and a checklist
for WIB labor representatives to use in promoting the expansion
of these union-sponsored apprenticeship programs in their
communities.
How
These Programs Work
Through
union-supported apprenticeship programs, new entrants to the
building and construction trades industry are employed and
receive wages while training on the job under the tutelage
of master craftworkers.
The sponsoring
joint apprenticeship training committee (JATC) pays the costs.
This “earn while you learn” feature of apprenticeship
makes it affordable for all.
Union-supported
apprenticeship programs operate under standards registered
and certified by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training
of the U.S. Department of Labor or by a state apprenticeship
agency. In practice many local unions set training standards
that exceed the minimum required for selection procedures,
training content, wage progressions and completion requirements.
All union-supported programs encourage women and minorities
to apply. The number of apprentices accepted for training
can vary according to the trade or craft and local market
conditions.
The
Benefits of the Apprenticeship Model
For workers:
- Opportunity
to “earn while you learn”
- Progressive
wages over the term of training
- Nationally
(and often internationally) recognized credentials upon
completion
- Documented
skills that are transferable
- Higher
earning potential and greater financial security
- More
opportunities for future training and advancement
- Many
programs offer college credit
For employers:
- Skilled
workers trained to industry specifications and needs
- Reduced
turnover
- Pipeline
for new skilled workers
- Reduced
costs due to worker productivity and safety
For the
workforce system:
- Placements
with higher wages
- Built-in
performance accountability because apprenticeship programs
are registered with Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training/State
Apprenticeship Council (BAT/SAC)
- Highly-skilled
workforce
- Placements
with a career path and long-term financial security
College
Credit
An innovation
in the apprenticeship programs of the unionized building trades
combines apprenticeship with college study. In some programs,
apprentices are “dually enrolled” in the apprenticeship
program and in a college degree program. These programs recognize
the academic achievement of those who successfully complete
their apprenticeship and offer participating apprentices expanded
career options.
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CHECKLIST:
How
to Make Sure Unionized Apprenticeship Programs Are Included
in Workforce Development Plans
Here
is a checklist of questions that WIB board members can use
to assess how apprenticeships fit into their WIB’s overall
program and how to advocate for expanding and improving these
programs with federal funds.
1.
Assess local area needs
Does the local workforce system have enough eligible training
providers so that individuals can choose training, not just
go to a community college or university?
Do your local training programs seek to provide skilled jobs
that can lead to careers or do they focus on creating low-paying
jobs with little chance of advancement?
Do recipients of current training services find employment
at the completion of their training?
2.
Identify partners and supporters
Do you know the principal officer of the building and construction
trades council in your area?
Do you have a relationship with the chief elected official
who appointed you to the local WIB? Does that elected official
manage large public works investments that might lead to apprenticeship
programs? How can you work with local building trades unions
to take advantage of that relationship?
Do other unionized building trades’ apprenticeship programs
in your area access public training dollars?
Are there non-union apprenticeship programs that are eligible
training providers in your local WIB?
Does a community college or other training provider deliver
training in the construction industry
Do union contractors sit on the WIB?
Do you have a relationship with the leaders of the central
labor council and the state federation of labor? Do they sit
on the WIB?
3.
Plan in advance how to navigate the process
Have you identified union employers involved in providing
“customized training” in which employers pay for
half the training and agree to hire trainees? Are these employers
interested in additional training? Do they have ties to WIB
members?
Are the apprenticeship programs in your local area certified
as eligible training providers?
What cost and performance information will be required of
the apprenticeship program to become an eligible training
provider?
Has your local WIB established a self-sufficiency standard?
How does it compare with apprentice-level wages? |
