Registered Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship is a job in which an individual is paid to learn a set of skills through on-the-job learning. In the United States, a formal system of Registered Apprenticeships were created in 1937 by the National Apprenticeship Act and are overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor and the individual states. With an apprenticeship, a sponsor registers its program and its apprentices with the federal government or a delegated state agency. For each apprenticeable occupation, a set of requirements details the duration and competency standards necessary for completion. When an apprentice completes these requirements, the government issues a certificate of completion that then serves as a nationally recognized, portable credential.

Unlike internships, in which individuals work for little or no money and might not receive formal training, apprenticeships follow an earn-while-you-learn model. They are real jobs with extensive on-the-job and classroom-based learning plus wages that increase as skills are mastered. Apprenticeships are run by employers, employer associations, labor management organizations or intermediaries such as JobForward.

Costs of apprenticeship are usually borne by the employer or labor organization, often with financial support from the U.S. Department of Labor, state departments of labor, and other state and private funding for workforce development. In exchange for that investment, employers receive a pipeline of skilled workers steeped in the culture of the employer and with a strong loyalty to their sponsors. Retention rates can be significantly greater than those experienced by employers without an apprenticeship model.

The statutory definition of an apprenticeable occupation, found in in 29 CFR 29 § 29.4, is one which is specified by industry and which must:
a) Involve skills that are customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised learning;
b) Be clearly identified and commonly recognized throughout an industry;
c) Involve the progressive attainment of manual, mechanical or technical skills and knowledge which, in accordance with the industry standard for the occupation, would require the completion of at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning to attain; and
d) Require related instruction to supplement the on-the-job learning.

There are currently over 1,200 occupations that have been approved for Registered Apprenticeship in the United States. The U.S. Department of Labor maintains a list of apprenticeable occupations.

JobForward has drafted apprenticeship standards for over 100 occupations in nontraditional fields, or occupations beyond the commonly recognized trades. In addition to working with existing approved occupations, JobForward staff have assisted clients in preparing applications for approval of new or emerging occupations. Some of the occupations our staff have assisted with include:

• Accounting And Finance Associate
• Aerospace Engineer
• Aerospace System Assembler
• Aircraft Interior Design and Upholstery
• Assembler Installer
• Application Developer
• Assembler
• Auto Insurance Representative
• Automotive Service Technician
• Autonomous Maintenance Technician
• Battery Repairer
• Behavioral Health Aide
• Biomedical Equipment Technician
• Biomedical Quality Assurance Specialist
• Broadband Technician
• Central Office Installer
• Central Sterile Processing Technician
• Clinical Laboratory Scientist
• CNC Advanced Machine Operator
• CNC Machinist
• CNC Operator-Milling And Turning
• Community Health Worker
• Cyber Intel Security Analyst
• Early Childhood Educator
• EHR Data Abstractor
• EHR Data Installation Consultant
• EHR Go-Live Support Staff
• EHR Staff
• Facility Technician
• Fiber Optic Technician
• Finance Business Partner
• In-Building Wireless Installation Technician
• Industrial Machine System Technician
• Industrial Manufacturing Technician
• Information Security Technician
• Installation Consultant
• Licensed Nurse Assistant
• Maintenance & Condition Assessment Foreman
• Maintenance & Condition Assessment Lead
• Maintenance Electrician
• Maintenance Mechanic
• Maintenance Technician
• Medical Assistant
• Medical Coder
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Numerical Control Machinist Operator
• Optics Manufacturing Technician
• Overhead Utility Installer Technician
• Pharmacy Technician
• Phlebotomist
• Pool Maintenance & Service Technician
• Precision Machinist
• Printed Circuit Board Designer
• Printed Circuit Board Fabricator
• Production Technician
• Programmable Logic Controller Technician
• Quality Control Technician
• Recycling And Reclamation Worker
• Registration Representative
• Research Associate/Analyst
• RF Assembler
• RF Technician
• Small Cell Technician
• Software Developer
• Substance Use Disorder Counselor
• Technician Support Specialist
• Telecommunication Tower Technician
• Telecommunications Technician
• Telecommunications Tower Antenna & Line Foreman
• Telecommunications Tower Antenna & Line Lead
• Telecommunications Tower Construction Foreman
• Telecommunications Tower Construction Lead
• Telecommunications Tower Technician
• Telecommunications Utilities Foreman
• Tool & Die Maker
• Underground Utility Installer Technician
• Web Developer
• Wireless Technician

Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential. Apprenticeship programs are a proven solution for employers, giving them the tools they need to recruit, train, and retain skilled workers. For individuals, apprenticeship combines on-the-job training with a steady paycheck that leads to meaningful employment without incurring the debt of a college education.

JobFoward has long supported registered apprenticeship programs. Our staff has been involved with development, recruitment, selection, curriculum development, education delivery, certifications with third parties, work process development, competency measurement, mentoring apprentices, mentoring mentors and employer staff, establishment of funding streams for apprenticeship, and providing subject matter expertise on apprenticeships. This history spans over 25 years and has reached employers across the United States.