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
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 OpenTech Los Angeles Regional Apprenticeship Collaborative (OpenTech LA).
- 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 the grantee, Managed Career Solutions (MCS), effectively leveraged its relationships with employers to facilitate on-the-job learning placements and successfully recruited new employers. MCS registered 42 apprenticeship programs across various sectors. At the time of the study, MCS registered 189 apprentices (achieving 62% of their goal) and served 444 pre-apprentices (exceeding their goal).
- A strength of the study is the detailed information about program design and operations, including detailed descriptions of related technical instruction, on-the-job learning, and certificates and credentials for select apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. 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
OpenTech Los Angeles Regional Apprenticeship Collaborative (OpenTech LA)
Features of the Intervention
- Type of organization: Sub-state government agency
- Location: Multi-site in California
- Population served and scale: Veterans; Women; Racial/ethnic minorities; Individuals with disabilities; Non-college aged adults; 189 apprentices and 444 pre-apprentices
- Industry focus: Information; Healthcare and social assistance; Manufacturing
- Intervention activities: On-the-job learning (OJL); Related technical instruction (RTI); Supportive services
- Organizational partnerships: Employers; Non-profits; 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.
Managed Career Solutions (MCS) received a $2,974,070 AAI grant. OpenTech Los Angeles Regional Apprenticeship Collaborative (OpenTech LA) was created and operated by MCS, which functions as an American Job Center (AJC) through agreements with the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board. MCS developed a RAP in information technology (IT) and collaborated with another agency that already had RAPs in bioscience and biomedical manufacturing. MCS also established a workforce development specialist RAP, increasing their capacity to assist individuals at the AJCs they operated. AAI grant funds were used for staff salaries, pre-apprenticeship boot camps, related technical instruction (RTI) costs, and non-wage employer costs for on-the-job learning (OJL).
The target population for OpenTechLA were women, Veterans, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities. Recruitment for the program took place through AJCs and a dedicated program website. Additionally, participants were recruited from pre-apprenticeship programs. Employers referred incumbent workers who needed further training and education.
Features of the Study
MCS 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, 57% of the participants were men. Among them, 30% were under 25 years old and 61% were between 25 and 44. The racial breakdown included 40% Hispanic (of any race), 23% White, and 13% Black. Additionally, 4% were Veterans and 18% were people with disabilities. In the pre-apprenticeship program, 71% of the participants were men, 44% were under 25 years old and 45% were between 25 and 44. The racial breakdown included 42% Hispanic (of any race), 18% White, and 20% Black. Also, 4% were Veterans and 3% 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 acting as an intermediary, MCS engaged employers, helped employers register apprentices, reimbursed employer costs, and identified participants from partner agencies that had existing pre-apprenticeship programs.
- MCS used AAI grant funds to register 42 apprenticeship programs in IT, manufacturing, healthcare, and other occupations (which included the workforce development specialist for MCS' internal needs). Over half of programs (58%) were competency-based, 30% were time-based, and 12% were hybrid.
- At the time of the study, MCS registered 189 apprentices (62% of their 300 goal) and served 444 pre-apprentices (222% of their 200 goal).
Implementation Challenges and Solutions
- The study found that employers were hesitant to start IT RAPs since it was a new area for many. MCS also found it challenging to create standards and work process schedules that could keep up with the fast pace of technology; this also impacted their ability to find RTI providers.
- MCS's existing relationship with employers through the AJCs facilitated OJL placements. MCS successfully recruited new employers by streamlining paperwork and filing RAPs with the U.S. DOL. MCS was most successful with businesses that had under 100 employees because the $3,000 reimbursement for each apprentice served as an incentive.
- MCS worked with a variety of partners including Los Angeles City College (who provided IT boot camps) and the YWCA of Greater LA (who ran a six-month Digital Learning Academy that functioned as a pre-apprenticeship). MCS also bought trainings from Career Academy and Udemy.
- COVID-19 made recruiting employers, especially small businesses, very difficult due to the economic uncertainty and the inability to conduct in-person recruitment at networking opportunities. Individuals with disabilities also struggled during COVID-19 when instruction and support were only available online.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The study authors answered the research questions by describing the target occupational area, grant activities, program design, participant characteristics and recruitment, employer engagement, employer perceptions, sustainment plans, and lessons learned. However, little information was provided about data collection methods and analyses.