APPRENTICESHIPOUR STATE’S SNAPSHOT REVEALS NATIONAL TRENDS & BEST

PRACTICES IN SURPRISING NEW CAREER PATHS!

WHAT IS APPRENTICESHIP?As defined by the US Department of Labor (USDOL), apprenticeship is “an industry-driven high quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, while the employees (or apprentices), can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential.”

Keep in mind that this ability to earn while you learn, is at little or no cost.

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• Apprenticeship is nothing new and can actually trace its roots back to the middle ages, when jobs of that time period, such as blacksmiths, would train young protégés.

• Those protégés (or apprentices) studied under the Master Blacksmith learning while they worked, in hopes of one day becoming the master apprentice himself.

• That model worked, and following that tradition, today’s apprenticeship programs allow the employers themselves to develop and prepare their future workforce by partnering with the State.

APPRENTICESHIP HAS A LONG HISTORY OF SUCCESS!

• The Who:• An apprentice must be a US citizen, or legally qualified to work, if not a citizen.

• Must be 16-18 years old, based on industry requirements.

• AND, a High school education, or GED, is preferred.

• The What• The 4 Must Haves to qualify a program as an “apprenticeship.”

1) Must have On-the-Job Training (OJT) with a minimum of 2000 hours per year.

2) Must have 144 -160 hours of RTI, or Related Technical Instruction, depending on the occupation.

3) Must result in a National Credential issued by the USDOL, United States Department of Labor.

4) Must have a progressive wage scale, resulting in the opportunity to earn wage increases.

WHO & WHAT QUALIFIES AS APPRENTICESHIP?

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• Pre-Apprenticeship:• Students take courses directly related to the apprenticeship field, in addition to their required high school

coursework, which count towards graduation. These programs are NOT registered through USDOL, but are instead, and agreement between the high schools and the RTI provider

• They participate in On-the-Job Learning activities (OJL) beginning at 16 years of age, which can count towards entry into a registered apprenticeship program.

• From this program, students can apply to a registered apprenticeship program leading up to/upon high school graduation.

• Youth Apprenticeship: • Unlike Pre-Apprenticeship, Youth apprentices ARE in registered programs, are registered by USDOL and are

employed by a business as an apprentice while still a student (also beginning at 16), and their On-the-Job Training (OJT) counts towards program completion.

• The work portion of the program is flexible and is done when school is not in session OR through a formal work-study program.

• Students take the RTI at their high school and/or community colleges, in addition to their required high school classes, all of which count towards graduation.

• Youth apprenticeship can be completed during high school, depending on the length of the program.

WHAT ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS?

DID YOU KNOW…

HOW DO APPRENTICESHIP & COLLEGE GRADS COMPARE?

COLLEGE GRADAccording to wage studies done last year,

College Grads could expect to earn an average of $50, 390 annually, which does not take into consideration the average $39, 400 in student loan debt, the fact

that only ½ of college students complete their degree, and that fewer than a third

will work in their field of study.

APPRENTICESHIP GRADIn comparison, the average starting wage for Apprenticeship Grads is $70,000, and

keep in mind that these students complete their education largely debt-

free and with a 94% employment retention rate almost immediately upon

program completion.

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Advanced Manufacturing Construction Tech Energy

Financial Services Healthcare Agriculture

Information Technology Aerospace Transportation

CONSTRUCTION, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING ARE THE OG’S OF APPRENTICESHIP!BUT DID YOU KNOW THIS…TODAY WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 9 CAREER FIELDS THAT ARE IN HIGH-DEMAND NATIONWIDE?

DO COLLEGE GRADS HAVE ESSENTIAL CAREER SKILLS?

COLLEGE GRADS SAY, “WE ARE WORK-READY!”

According to employers, soft skills in particular are notably missing in many of today’s young job

candidates. In McGraw-Hill Education’s recent Future Workforce Survey, over half of the more than 1,000 college graduates surveyed believed they were well

prepared for the workplace in “essential career readiness skills” like professionalism/work ethic (77%),

critical thinking/problem solving (63%) and oral/written communication (61%).

Employers, however, did not have the same perception of the college graduates – in fact, their perception of those same skill was substantially lower, coming in at 43%, 56%, and 42%, respectfully.

EMPLOYERS SAY, “WELL…”

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• Did you know that as many as 30% of College Grads will work in “middle skills” jobs, for which a degree is not needed but sophisticated expertise is.

• Why the disconnect? For one, the US economy is undergoing rapid change, and in many instances, automation and artificial intelligence are fundamentally altering the nature of work.

• Some believe that we will lose our jobs to this automation process, and that could not be further from the truth. Why? Because employees with the skills to run those robotic systems will be in high demand, again emphasizing the importance of a highly-skilled, highly-trained workforce.

WHY THE DISCONNECT?????

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MIKE ROWE TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS – MAY 14, 20119 YEARS LATER, THE COUNTRY IS FINALLY RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SKILLED TRADES!

MYTH VS. FACTA LOT OF MYTHS SURROUND APPRENTICESHIP!

MYTH 1: APPRENTICESHIP IS IN COMPETITION WITH COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

• FACT: While college delivers an outstanding career path, it’s not the ONLY career path, and more importantly, it should never be in competition with apprenticeship programs.

• Many apprenticeship schools partner with their local colleges and universities and either offer evening classes on campus and/or have entered into an articulated agreement with those colleges to offer credit towards either a 2-4 year degrees, giving apprentices the wonderful opportunity to continue their education.

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MYTH 2: APPRENTICESHIP COSTS COMPANIES A LOT OF MONEY

FACT: Companies unanimously agree that program benefits more than justified their costs.

Don’t forget that even though there may be an initial investment of time and money, just like with any new business endeavor, for every $1.00 spent on apprenticeship, the company sees a return of $1.50.

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MYTH 3: APPRENTICESHIP IS ONLY FOR “THE TRADES”

FACT: Modern apprenticeship offers a broad array of Career Pathways, even though historically apprenticeships were almost exclusive to electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc.

This is no longer the case. In fact, companies now investing in apprenticeship include LinkedIn, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Nike, CVS Health, DowChemical and JP Morgan Chase, just to name a few.

And do NOT forget, as we pointed out earlier in our Did You Know Slide, as of today, there are 1349 apprenticeable occupations!

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• FACT: This is simply not true and is probably the most common misconception, particularly about the skilled trades.

• The reality is that skilled trades require individuals with a strong academic foundation in reading, writing, math, and sciences.

In fact, did you know that most technical manuals are written at a Higher reading level than a freshmen

textbook?

MYTH 4: APPRENTICESHIP IS NOT ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGING

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• FACT: Skilled trades offer not just jobs, but careers!

• There are many chances for advancement within a trade from supervisory positions, to management positions, to the possibility of owning your own business.

• The level of advancement is up to the capability and desire of the tradesperson.

MYTH 5: JOBS IN THE TRADES ARE USUALLY DEAD-END JOBS

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• FACT: Physical work does not solely imply strength. In fact, skilled trades require dexterity, stamina, good hand-eye coordination and balance, which are all attributes that women equally possess along with men.

• In fact, there is quite a bit of research that suggests that women surpass their male counterparts in those skill sets, especially when it comes to eye-hand coordination.

MYTH 6: WOMEN DON’T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO PERFORM SKILLED TRADES.

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• It’s as easy as 1, 2 & 3:• Step 1) Partner with an Employer – your employer not only has to be willing to

hire your apprentices, but also needs to give feedback on your curriculum.

• Step 2) Contact our office – we will meet with you and guide you through the application process/serve as your liaison between you, and USDOL. • USDOL – you will register your program

• Have to have a minimum of 5 apprentices, unless you are in Electrical or Plumbing

• Your standard must be in place/if they are new standards, the process can be longer

• You must entered your apprentices in RAPIDS, which is the USDOL apprenticeship database.

• Step 3) Administrative Review – we will monitor your program for that first year. Once that is done, we will conduct your onsite visit, and once you are approved, you are an apprenticeship school!

SO HOW DO YOU START?

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• Increased support from the State & Local Levels• Governor appointed State Committee – AACSC• State Committees specific to the 2 largest apprenticeship occupations:

• Electricians – SEAC• Plumbers - SPAC

• Union & Non-Union Working Together

• Variety of Options for RTI• Private apprenticeship schools• Community colleges• Employers

• Innovative ideas from Business & Industry• First Orion• Tyson

BEST PRACTICES

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CURRENT APPRENTICESHIP STATS

Age 16-24, 2116

Age 25-54, 3465

Age 55+, 140

Apprentice Age Groups

Age 16-24

Age 25-54

Age 55+

126

129

129

171

1584

3419

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

STEEL WORKER

HVAC

CARPENTER

MILWRIGHT

PLUMBER

ELECTRICIAN

Arkansas Top Apprenticeship Occupations

$31,900

$35,900

$41,097

$41,500

$42,500

$46,500

$0 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $45,000 $50,000

CARPENTER

HVAC

STEEL WORKER

PLUMBER

ELECTRICIAN

MILWRIGHT

Salary Scale by Occupation

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

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OUR STATE OFFICE OF APPRENTICESHIP (SAO) TEAM

DR. DAWN TIRADO HAMBY

DIRECTOR

STATE OFFICE OF APPRENTICESHIP

MR. ROCKY MANTOOTH

PROGRAM ADVISOR

STATE OFFICE OF APPRENTICESHIP

MR. RON BAKER

PROGRAM ADVISOR - ELECTRICAL,

STATE OFFICE OF APPRENTICESHIP

MS. JANET ROBINSON

FISCAL SUPPORT ANALYST

STATE OFFICE OF APPRENTICESHIP

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