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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Implementing registered apprenticeship programs: Experiences of 10 American Apprenticeship Initiative grantees [Apprenticeships on Demand] (Copson et al., 2021)

  • Findings

    See findings section of this profile.

    Evidence Rating

    Not Rated

Review Guidelines

Implementation Guidelines

This study was conducted by staff from Abt Global, which co-administers CLEAR. The review of this study was conducted by ICF, which co-administers CLEAR and is trained in applying the CLEAR implementation study guidelines. 

Citation

Copson, E., Kappil, T., Gardiner, K., Clarkwest, A., Engle, H., Trutko, A., Trutko, J., Glosser, A., Webster, R., Kuehn, D., Lerman, R., & Shakesprere, J. (2021). Implementing registered apprenticeship programs: Experiences of 10 American Apprenticeship Initiative grantees. Report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Rockville, MD: Abt Associates.

Highlights

  • The study’s objective was to examine the implementation of the American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) which provides grants to expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs. This profile focuses on the Apprenticeships on Demand (AOD) program.  
  • The study authors conducted an implementation evaluation using data obtained through interviews, a survey, and programmatic data obtained from DOL's Apprenticeship Quarterly Performance Report (QPR) system.  
  • The study found that AOD provided sponsorship, related technical instruction, conducted employer outreach, screened potential applicants, and registered them as apprentices with the Department of Labor. It registered 10 apprenticeship programs funded by AAI grants across various sectors. Of these programs, almost all were hybrid programs. At the time of the study, AOD registered 169 apprentices, achieving 54% of their goal.  
  • A strength of the study is the detailed information about program operations, particularly around the functions of the staff members. They also highlight the banking and finance registered apprenticeship, providing detailed information on related technical instruction, on-the-job learning, certificates, and credentials. However, one limitation is that the study authors do not provide details about their data collection methods.  
  • There was no companion impact study. 

Intervention Examined

Apprenticeships on Demand (AOD)

Features of the Intervention

  • Type of organization: Community college 
  • Location: Multi-site in Illinois 
  • Population served and scale: Veterans; Women; Racial/ethnic minorities; Individuals with disabilities; Non-college aged adults; 169 apprentices 
  • Industry focus: Finance and insurance; Manufacturing; Information 
  • Intervention activities: On-the-job learning (OJL); Related technical instruction (RTI); Supportive services
  • Organizational partnerships: Employers; Education 
  • Cost: Not included 
  • Fidelity: Not included 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) provided $175 million in grants to expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) in areas that did not have many registered apprentices and for populations underrepresented in RAPs (e.g., women, Veterans, racial or ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, non-college aged adults). Beginning in 2015, DOL awarded five-year AAI grants to 46 grantees nationwide.  

William Rainey Harper College (Harper College) in Palatine, Illinois received a $2,500,000 AAI grant. The college launched the Apprenticeship on Demand (AOD) program. The AAI grant money was used to pay staff at Harper College, as well as fund the creation of brochures, information materials for employers, and a dedicated apprenticeship website. AOD generally targeted populations consistent with the overall AAI grant. They found participants through their website, promotional materials, e-blasts from local government, and radio ads. All related technical instruction (RTI) programs were provided by Harper College, requiring participants to enroll in the college and pass English and math assessments. The Job Placement Resource Center at Harper College provided resume assistance and connected them to employers for interviews. Enrollment at Harper College occurred only after a job offer was made. Incumbent workers could also be enrolled in the program if they passed the same assessments. Employers paid Harper College $2,500 or $3,000 each semester for each apprenticeship to cover costs like tuition, fees, books, and tools needed for the program. 

AOD found employers through mailed postcards, ads with business associations and local government agencies, their website, cold calls, job fairs, LinkedIn, and personal connections. The college organized on-campus events and hired sales staff to recruit employers with little or no experience in RAPs, hosting events where interested employers could meet those who already had apprentices. 

Features of the Study

Harper College was one of ten grantees selected to participate in the implementation evaluation. Selection criteria included participation in a recruitment sub study, grantee institution type (i.e., state agency, sub-state agency, college, or sector-based organization), progress toward target enrollees, and prior history with RAPs. 

In the apprenticeship program, 71% of the participants were men. Among them, 50% were under 25 years old, 42% were between 25 and 44, and 6% were 45 or older. The racial breakdown included 22% Hispanic (of any race), 54% White, 12% Black, and 12% Asian. Additionally, 4% were Veterans and 2% were people with disabilities.  

Interviews were conducted in person during site visits in spring 2019 and over the phone in fall 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. A survey was conducted with a grantee representative between June and July 2019. Programmatic data were obtained from DOL's Apprenticeship Quarterly Performance Report (QPR) system. The study authors do not include information about the number of interviews conducted or their analytic methods.  

Findings

Intervention Activities/Services 

  • The study found that AOD provided sponsorship, related technical instruction (RTI), conducted employer outreach, screened potential applicants, and registered them as apprentices with the DOL. 
  • AOD registered ten apprenticeship programs using AAI grant funds in manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and other occupations (including insurance, banking and finance, graphic arts, marketing and sales management, and supply chain management/ logistics). Almost all (92%) were hybrid programs.  
  • At the time of the study, AOD registered 169 apprentices (54% of their 313 goal). 

Implementation Challenges and Solutions 

  • The study found that while not all Harper College staff participated (e.g., some did not help tailor the curriculum to meet RTI needs), many did. The staff believed that community colleges were excellent sponsors because they could tailor RTI and register programs for employers who otherwise would not use RAPs.  
  • Harper College helped the City Colleges of Chicago create a RAP for a large insurance company and freely shared their materials and experiences with other interested parties. 
  • The limited number of available apprenticeship positions resulted in many eligible candidates not participating. Each semester, approximately 320 (of 500 that took the assessments) were eligible; however, only 60 positions were available.  
  • The study found that it took up to nine months to find the right person in a business who could offer apprenticeships, plus an additional three months for that person to decide. 
  • Since Harper College worked with small and mid-size firms, and nontraditional fields, the support AOD provided to create and register the RAPs was integral to their participation. For instance, a banking and finance RAP was created in partnership with the Illinois Bankers Association. An employer noted the process was "seamless" given the support Harper College provided. Additionally, Harper College suggested apprenticeship agreements that protected employers from losing trained employees (e.g., minimum commitment to the company, repaying fees for RTI). 
  • COVID-19 reduced the positions available for apprentices because employers reduced or cancelled their participation. Additionally, COVID-19 made recruiting employers difficult since previous in-person outreach and engagement had to shift to phone and email. The program adapted to COVID-19 challenges by offering online RTI when possible and loaned laptops to and provided hotspots for apprentices at the library.  

Considerations for Interpreting the Findings

The study authors provide details about the program operations, particularly around the functions of the staff members. Additionally, there is a program spotlight on the banking and finance RAP, which includes details about RTI, OJL, and the certificates and credentials awarded. However, little information was provided about data collection methods and analyses in this report

Additional Sources

Gardiner, K., Kuehn, D., Copson, E., & Clarkwest, A. (2021). Expanding registered apprenticeship in the United States: Description of American Apprenticeship Initiative grantees and their programs. Report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Abt Associates, Rockville, MD: Abt Associates.

Reviewed by CLEAR

December 2024

Topic Area