1. APPRENTICESHIP & WIA
A Strategic Advantage

2. Apprenticeship: A Strategic Advantage
AGENDA
Apprenticeship history, current structure
How Apprenticeship works in Wisconsin
Benefits to employers & the workforce
Apprenticeship by the numbers
Potential benefits to WIA performance
Partnership opportunities

3. What is an Apprentice?

4. History of Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship has produced highly skilled craftsmen for more than 4,000 years
medieval period
pre-industrial era
present day

5. History of Apprenticeship
Nation’s 1st apprenticeship law: Wisconsin 1911
Objectives:
Provide industries with skilled labor
Provide career opportunities for youth
Protect individuals who enter apprenticeships
Same law created Wisconsin Vocational School system to provide related classroom instruction

6. What is an Apprenticeship?
It’s a binding agreement in which:
Apprentices earn a progressive wage while training under journeyworker(s) on the job, and
Industry-based instructors provide theoretical (classroom) training, and
Apprentices can achieve journeyworker status.
It’s industry-driven and industry-designed
It’s regulated by the state

7. What is Apprenticeship?
Apprenticeship expedites expertise!
Apprenticeship Approach: Classroom training with structured hands-on experience
Expertise (Education & Experience)
Experience
Expertise Gap
Traditional Approach: Classroom training followed by
unstructured hands-on experience
Classroom Training
Over Time

8. Apprenticeship Earning Potential
Five-Year College Education vs. Apprenticeship

9. Apprenticeship Training
Supervised, structured on-the-job training
Provided by the sponsor
The job is primary component of apprenticeship
90% of training is learned on the job
Written standards govern the on-the-job training
Work must be supervised by skilled journeyworker

10. Apprenticeship Training
Related (classroom) Instruction
Theoretical and technical, as required by WI law
Primarily through Wisconsin’s Technical Colleges
Employer pays apprentice’s normal wage while attending
Apprentice pays for tuition & books

11. Apprenticeship Credential
Average time to completion: four years
Formal credential upon completion
Journeyworker skill level
Acknowledged nationwide
Portable nationwide
39 credits towards AAS degree

12. Apprenticeable Trades
Must be approved by DWD/BAS as meeting the following criteria:
Involves manual, mechanical or technical skills
Customarily learned through on-the-job training
Require related instruction to supplement OJT
Recognized throughout an industry
Not part of an already recognized trade

13. Apprenticeable Trades
Three employment sectors:
Construction Trades
Industrial Trades
Service Trades
Each trade has its own selection process and requirements
Approximately half of Wisconsin’s 10,000 apprentices are in construction trades

14. Apprenticeable Trades
Examples of Current Apprenticeships
Bricklayer
Carpenter
Cement Mason/Concrete Finisher
Construction Craft Laborer
Electrician
Environmental System Technician
Glazier
Heat & Frost Insulator
Ironworker
Operating Engineer
Painter & Decorator
Plasterer
Plumber
Roofer
Sheet Metal Worker
Sprinklerfitter
Steamfitter
Teledata Communications
Instrument Technician
Machinist
Maintenance Mechanic
Millwright
Metal Fabricator
Pipefitter
Tool and Die Maker
Tool Maker
Barber/Cosmetologist
Cook/Chef
Correctional Officer
Electric Line Worker
Fire Service
Funeral Director

15. Apprenticeable Trades
Examples of Potential Apprenticeships
Biotechnology Lab Assistant
Information Technology
Health Support Specialist, CNA, LPN,
Allied Healthcare (Radiology Tech, Mammography Tech, etc.)
Social/Family Service Worker
AODA Counselor
Dental Laboratory Technician
Surveying Technician
Legal Clerk
Hazardous Abatement Worker
---and many more!

16. Apprenticeship Sponsors
Sponsors are:
Joint (employer/union) Apprenticeship Committees
Individual Employers
Employer Association Apprenticeship Committees
More than 3,000 Wisconsin employers train apprentices annually

17. Apprenticeship Sponsors
Sponsors agree to:
Plan, administer & pay for the program
Abide by state & federal apprenticeship regulations
Form a three-way contract

18. Apprenticeship: Benefit to Employers
Opportunity to formally train employees
In employer’s facility, on their equipment, with their customers, to fit their particular needs
Training & promotion path for unskilled employees
Structured method to capture expertise of experienced, skilled employees
Brings new techniques & ideas into the company
Employee wage is commensurate with skill

19. Apprenticeship: Partnership that Works
Employers and industries get a reliable source of skilled labor and flexible training options
Employees get valuable training opportunity and a portable credential without leaving the workforce
Local workforce system has an avenue to promote training opportunities in key industries
Educational partners provide industry training in a way that doesn’t stretch capacity

20. Apprenticeship: By the Numbers
Apprenticeship Enrollment Follows the Economy

21. Apprenticeship: By the Numbers
Apprenticeship Earnings Equal 4-year College Earnings

22. Apprenticeship: By the Numbers
TEXT_HERE
Sources for Data:
Apprenticeship: BASIS, gathered on 2/27/09
WIA data: 2007 Wisconsin WIA Annual Report for Program Year 2007; per Gary Denis on 2/27/09, report data reflects 6 months’ earnings, thus amounts in chart are doubled to reflect annualized earnings.
DVR data:
WTCS data: Graduate Follow-up Report
Sources: DWD Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards BASIS data; WTCS Graduate Follow-up Report ; WIA Annual Report for PY 2007; WDVR State Plan FFY 2009

23. Positive Environment for Growth
Apprentice Utilization Requirements
State = 10% apprentices; Other public = few, similar
Stimulus-related Recovery & Reinvestment
Construction sector funding
Healthcare – seeking workforce solutions
State push for WIA/Apprenticeship partnership
Workforce realities: aging boomers, shrinking birth rates, exodus of Wisconsin talent

24. Apprenticeship: Around the Nation
Washington State:
Partnering with K-12; pre-apprenticeship
$1M (Gov’s WIA 10%) targeting apprenticeship integration
Kansas State:
Federal $ - Health Support Specialist
WIA $ help support apprenticeship staff
Federal – USDOL/ETA
Partnership initiatives and grants

25. Opportunities for Action
Improve the applicant pipeline to Apprenticeship
Train Job Center staff on Apprenticeship
Clarify funding opportunities (OJT, ITAs, Custom) at all levels – federal, state & local
Explore pilots that expand / improve access
Establish guidance on apprenticeship structure & WIA performance measures
Support expanded adult pre-apprenticeship training, especially for minorities and females

26. Opportunities for Action
Expand Apprenticeship to new employers
Partner with WDBs to promote apprenticeship as an effective workforce development strategy
Establish clear and effective info & referral for staff
Conduct outreach to business associations and economic development to expand awareness
Articulate linkage to High Growth, High Wage jobs
Include focus on green, sustainable technologies

27. Recommendations & Next Steps
Lead in the integration of Apprenticeship into the Workforce System

28. Thank You for Your Time & Attention!
APPRENTICESHIP & WIA
A Strategic Advantage