Apprenticeship Training Program Administrator's Guide

Part B: Program Information

B-100: Employers Interested in Establishing a Registered Apprenticeship Training Program

Establishing a registered apprenticeship training program can be beneficial for employers who require a skilled workforce and are willing to train workers in the latest technologies. Employer sponsors have less employee turnover and better employer/employee relations. By providing employment and training opportunities for residents in their communities, they are recognized as local industry leaders.

B-100.1: Apprenticeship Training Program Registration: The purpose of program registration is to ensure that employer sponsors, working apprentices, and the general public clearly understand the training content and the procedures that are in place to further ongoing program quality.

B-100.2: Registered Apprenticeship Training Program Standards: Employer sponsors, or groups of employer sponsors and unions, design, organize, manage, and finance registered apprenticeship training programs under a set of locally approved apprenticeship training program standards. These standards are registered with the Office of Apprenticeship or an Office of Apprenticeship-recognized committee, and include:

• an on-the-job training outline;
• related classroom instruction curriculum; and
• the apprenticeship operating procedures.

B-100.3: Benefits for Employer Sponsors: A well-planned and administered registered apprenticeship training program can:

• attract highly qualified applicants;
• reduce absenteeism;
• reduce turnover;
• increase productivity;
• address an industry's need to remain competitive by investing in the development and continuous upgrade of the skills of its workforce.

B-200: Job Seekers Interested in Enrolling in a Registered Apprenticeship Training Program

If you want to become a highly paid and valued journeyworker, relish the challenge of learning a new skill, and like to earn while you learn, entering a registered apprenticeship training program could be for you.

B-200.1: Apprenticeship Eligibility and Qualifications: Registered apprenticeship training program employer sponsors identify the minimum-and any additional-desired qualifications applicants must possess.

Minimum Qualifications: An employer sponsor identifies the minimum qualifications needed to apply to its program, including:

• Age: To be eligible, job seekers must be no younger than 16 years of age; however, job seekers must be 18 years of age to be an apprentice in hazardous occupations, as stated in the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs (29 C.F.R., Part 29.2). Proof of age is required to be eligible.
• Education: Education requirements typically are a high school diploma or General Educational Development credential, unless otherwise specified by the minimum requirements set forth by the registered apprenticeship training program.
• Physical Ability: Some programs may require both physical strength and endurance. Where necessary, apprentices must be able to work in a physically demanding environment for extended periods of time and in all weather conditions.

Additional Qualifications: All applicants are required to meet the minimum qualifications. Based on the selection method used by the employer sponsor, additional qualifications may be identified, including:

• performance on aptitude tests;
• secondary or postsecondary grades; and
• previous work experience.

Note: Criminal conviction may prevent eligibility. Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53 states:

A licensing authority may suspend or revoke a license, disqualify a person from receiving a license, or deny to a person the opportunity to take a licensing examination on the grounds that the person has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities of the licensed occupation.

B-200.2: Benefits for Apprentices: Benefits of enrollment in a registered apprenticeship training program may include:

• On-the-Job Training: Through an Apprenticeship Agreement, apprentices, as employees, receive supervised, structured, on-the-job training combined with related classroom instruction.
• Related Classroom Instruction: Related classroom instruction provides the technical knowledge required for apprentices to perform at a highly skilled level.
• Dual Accreditation: Programs may offer dual accreditation through postsecondary institutions that apply credit for program completion toward an associate's degree.
• Completion Certificate: Upon completion of a one- to four-year (2,000 hours to 8,000 hours) registered apprenticeship training program, the worker receives an Apprenticeship Completion Certificate (certificate) and is recognized nationwide as a qualified journeyworker. The certificate-one of the oldest and most highly portable industry credentials in use today-is issued by a federally approved state apprenticeship council or agency, or by the Office of Apprenticeship.
• Wage Increases: Workers who complete registered apprenticeship training programs generally earn higher wages during their working years than those who do not acquire their skills in a formal apprenticeship training program. Wage increases occur with satisfactory progress in both related classroom instruction and on-the-job training until wages reach 85 to 90 percent of the rate paid to the journeyworker in the same occupation.
• Advancement: Apprentices who become journeyworkers usually advance more rapidly than workers who do not acquire their skills in a formal apprenticeship training program.

B-200.3: Contacts: Job seekers interested in applying to enter a registered apprenticeship training program may contact:

• Program Sponsors Database
  (http://www.bat.doleta.gov/bat.cfm)
• State Offices - Office of Apprenticeship
  (http://www.doleta.gov/OA/stateoffices.cfm)
• Regional Offices - Office of Apprenticeship
  (http://www.doleta.gov/OA/regdirlist.cfm)
• National Office - Office of Apprenticeship
  (http://www.doleta.gov/OA/national.cfm)

B-300: Training Providers Interested in Seeking Funding for Registered Apprenticeship Training Programs

Training providers deliver training to eligible registered apprentices. Training providers work with apprentices and employers to develop training needs, deliver training, assess apprentices' achievement of skills, and issue certificates on successful completion of apprenticeship training classes that are recognized nationally and often globally.

Training providers may be employer organizations or community colleges.

Each training provider offers different ways of training apprentices. Apprentices and their employers should consider all training providers to select a training provider that will suit both their needs.

For a list of training providers relevant to your chosen apprenticeship program, contact:

U.S. Department of Labor
Regional Office - Region IV
Office of Apprenticeship
Federal Building, Room 628
525 Griffin Street
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 767-4993

B-400: Local Education Agencies Interested in Seeking Funding for Registered Apprenticeship Training Programs

Public school districts, state postsecondary institutions, and community or technical colleges are known as local education agencies (LEAs) and may be eligible for state-level funding distributed through TWC under Texas Education Code, Chapter 133.

B-400.1: Technical Assistance: TWC's contract management and policy staff provide technical assistance to LEA administrators to assist with any reporting requirements necessary for participating partners, including the:

• planning estimate submission;
• application process;
• contracts; and
• amendments.

B-400.2: Financial (Resources): The Texas State Legislature appropriates General Revenue funds for registered apprenticeship training programs authorized by Texas Education Code, Chapter 133. As provided in the Texas Education Code, TWC distributes funds to eligible LEAs.

The purpose of these funds is to help pay the costs of the related classroom instruction in registered apprenticeship training programs. State funding is:

• available to all registered apprenticeship training programs;
• based on the number of programs and apprentices in each registered apprenticeship training program;
• determined by the approved number of training hours according to Office of Apprenticeship standards not to exceed 220 hours;
• determined annually, due to fluctuations in programs being added and removed;
• provided to the program and governed by an annual written contract between TWC and the LEA; and
• administered by the LEA, which:
  • issues purchase orders for required materials and capital expenditures;
  • monitors classroom attendance for instructors and students; and
  • retains up to 15 percent of the funding to recover administrative costs and monitoring expenses.

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