Apprenticeship Programs: Earn and Learn

Registered Apprenticeships are apprenticeship programs that are well-defined and documented, and are approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).  The DOL has been overseeing and registering apprentices in the US for nearly one hundred years.  Registered Apprenticeships are employer-driven and sponsored. A company or union/labor organization sponsoring a Registered Apprenticeship Program determines whom they will employ, and apprentice.

All high-quality Registered Apprenticeship programs consist of five core components.

1. Employer Designed and Driven
2. Structured On-the-Job Learning (OJL)
3. Related Instruction (RI)
4. Wage Progression
5. National Credential 

Registered Apprenticeship
Any employer, association, committee, or organization that operates a Registered Apprenticeship Program. This entity assumes the full responsibility for administration and operation of the apprenticeship program. Sponsors can be a single business or a consortium of businesses. Alternatively, the sponsor can be a workforce intermediary, such as an industry association or a labor-management organization. Community colleges and community-based organizations can also serve as sponsors of apprenticeship programs.

Sponsors design and execute apprenticeship programs, provide jobs to apprentices, oversee training development, and provide hands-on learning and technical instruction for apprentices. The programs operate on a voluntary basis and they often receive support by collaborating with community-based organizations, educational institutions, the workforce system, and other stakeholders. 

Yes! Apprenticeship is an “earn and learn” model – apprentices start working and earning wages from the first day on the job.  Apprentices obtain paid, on-the-job learning (OJL), related instruction (RI), and a DOL certificate of completion or journeyperson card, both which are a nationally-recognized, portable credential demonstrating an apprentice's mastery of chosen occupation that is widely understood in business and industry. 

Depending on the occupation, Registered Apprenticeships lasts from one to six years. For each year of the registered apprenticeship, the apprentice typically receives 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning (OJL) and 144 hours of related instruction (RI) in college classes. A majority of apprenticeships last four years in length. 

Yes, but it varies by program. If your prior coursework aligns with a registered apprentice program, and your sponsor approves this coursework as relevant, then it may count toward completion of your apprenticeship program. A determination will be made on a case-by-case basis. With accepted credit, you are required to participate in at least 6 months (equivalent to 1,000 hours) of a Registered Apprenticeship Program to complete the credential. 

Yes! Most apprenticeship opportunities include on-the-job learning and classroom instruction. Therefore, apprentices can earn up to 45 credits toward a certificate or degree.

The Office of Apprenticeship or the State Apprenticeship Agency grant apprentices who have successfully completed a registered apprenticeship program with a nationally recognized Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship.