Tip for States Looking to Expand Apprenticeship: Find and Use Apprenticeship Intermediaries
In light of ever-changing skills needs, which make it even harder for employers to find talent in a tight labor market, governors are looking for ways to better connect education to work. They’re not only looking at brand new approaches; they’re also retooling traditional approaches like apprenticeship.
Registered apprenticeship is considered a “gold standard” of workforce training, combining theoretical education with hands-on, mentored work experiences. However, it can be an onerous process for businesses to develop these programs, especially in trades not historically apprenticeship-friendly in the U.S., like IT and health care. That’s why governors and state leaders are looking to elevate intermediaries that can work with their relevant state and federal apprenticeship offices to pilot and scale quality programs.
Apprenticeship intermediaries are any organizations whose purpose is to serve as a translator between the languages of business, education and regulation to promote the expansion of apprenticeship.
Intermediaries can take on key tasks that support the expansion of apprenticeship such as outreach to and technical assistance for employers, managing relationships with labor and other partners and recruitment of apprentices. Governors and state leaders can leverage apprenticeship intermediaries to help them meet their goals for expansion of apprenticeship as a workforce training strategy.
Steps for States to Identify Effective Apprenticeship Intermediaries
There are already many examples of apprenticeship intermediaries that successfully partner with state leaders. Apprenticeship Carolina, an initiative run by South Carolina’s technical college system, provides information and consultative services to all businesses interested in hiring apprentices. In Michigan, the local workforce board West Michigan Works! works with employers to shape their health care apprenticeship program, with support from the state workforce board’s apprenticeship success coordinators. Other examples include industry associations (as highlighted below), labor unions, nonprofit organizations and staffing companies.
Because apprenticeship improves education, workforce and economic development outcomes, state leaders from across these areas should work together to identify and support effective apprenticeship intermediaries in their states. The following are questions they can consider collaboratively:
· In which industries are businesses struggling to find qualified job candidates?
· What are the barriers that statewide employers face in launching or expanding apprenticeship programs?
· Which organizations have: partnerships with industry and education providers, knowledge of the apprenticeship model and the workforce needs of businesses and staff capacity and resources to support development and implementation of apprenticeship programs?
· What state-level support could intermediaries benefit from that would help them become the go-to apprenticeship resource for employers?
Through thoughtful consideration of the above questions, state leaders are better positioned to engage impactful intermediaries to support high-quality apprenticeship infrastructure in their states.
State in Action: New York
New York Governor and National Governors Association Vice Chair Andrew Cuomo recognized that New York faces a labor shortage that, if not addressed, will erode the state’s ability to attract businesses that can invest in local talent. In response, Gov. Cuomo launched a historic $175 million Workforce Development Initiative and a multi-prong apprenticeship agenda to 1) expand apprenticeships to high-demand, emerging industries; 2) engage New York State universities into apprenticeship creation and attraction and 3) recruit more employer partners through state tax credits and enhanced state support.
Complementing the governor’s efforts and using support from four consecutive state budgets, the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) developed an Intermediary Apprenticeship Program. The program aims to cultivate a well-trained workforce that supports manufacturing companies’ growth in the state.
Some of MACNY’s roles and results as an apprenticeship intermediary include:
· Creation of programs for any manufacturing employers in the state. This appeals to employers experiencing rapid growth, particularly those that do not need “highly skilled” employees at entry.
· State and federal registration of apprentices. The New York Department of Labor granted MACNY the ability to sponsor programs on behalf of businesses. This helps them receive the benefits that come from registering your apprenticeship program without the paperwork.
· Recruitment of apprentices. This appeals especially for small employers that lack the capacity to do this on their own, especially at the start of a new program.
· Partnership with state workforce, business and education partners. These systems must work together to develop programs that best support the needs of both apprentices and employers.
· Expansion of apprenticeship, both in manufacturing and in the traditionally white-collar occupations of IT and engineering. MACNY and their Alliance Partners statewide now have more than 75 companies and 200 apprentices participating in their apprenticeship programs. The organization recently enrolled its first 21 apprentices in Long Island and has plans to expand to New York City.
NGA Solutions is identifying strategies like this to help governors connect more people to quality learning and to good jobs. The Economic Opportunity team engages with states through the American Apprenticeship Initiative, Policy Academy on Scaling Work-Based Learning, and the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), among other projects.
Kimberly Hauge is a senior policy analyst with NGA Economic Opportunity, where she focuses on scaling high-quality apprenticeship for youth and adults.
