Strengthening Our Nation’s Workforce with
Industry Driven Solutions
OA tasked McNeil Research and Evaluation Associates (McNeil Research)
and OA staff to look at the status of the development of Registered
Apprenticeship in six highgrowth industries and the military. Five industries
(health care, hightech manufacturing, information technology, geospatial
technology and biotechnology), which had never used the apprenticeship training
model, were given seed capital to develop programs.
The other industry (maritime) and the military have operated
apprenticeship programs for a number of years, but only recently adopted the Registered Apprenticeship model. Additionally, OA and NASTAD staff were
trained to undertake outreach efforts in new industries. This report looks at results of those
investments and marketing efforts by the Department of Labor and provides a
snapshot in time of each project as it gets underway.
Approach Data was gathered about the
benefits and effectiveness of Registered Apprenticeship, as well as information
about the process of program implementation. The report is based on data
gathered through document reviews; observations at selected industry sites; and
informal interviews with project directors, site coordinators, mentors,
apprentices, and representatives from employer sponsors, educational
institutions, and the local workforce development system.
EARLY TRENDS
Registered Apprenticeship: A Pathway
Registered Apprenticeship: A Pathway
to a Stronger Workforce
Observations
RA is an effective training
model that provides a tracking system for worker skills, ensures employer needs
are met, increases productivity, and helps attract and retain high quality
workers at lower costs.
Role of Registered Apprenticeship
As the IT apprenticeship
program becomes fully operational and institutionalized, it will be important
to connect apprentices and sponsors enrolled through the program with DOL’s RA
system.
Observations
CompTIA has developed and is
implementing the National Information Technology Apprenticeship System (NITAS)
for IT professionals. OA and CompTIA are educating firms about this program.
Role of Registered Apprenticeship
Technical assistance will
facilitate the process of connecting the IT apprenticeship program with DOL’s
RA system, as well as train staff at One-Stop centers in methods to channel
potential IT workers into the IT apprenticeship program.
Benefits to Employers ● Greater competence of
employees ● Reduced turnover rates ● Greater employee retention ● Lower
investment in recruitment ● Higher productivity ● Improved quality of patient
care ● Improved quality of products/ services ● More diverse workforce
Benefits to Apprentices/Employees ● Nationally recognized and
portable certificates ● Improved skills and competencies ● Increased wages as a
result of mastered competencies ● Ability to advance in career ● Higher
self-esteem based on enhanced skills and certifications
Information
Technology: The Computing Technology
Industry Association Educational Foundation, Inc. (CompTIA) and the National
Information Technology Apprenticeship System (NITAS) CompTIA is a not-for-profit
trade association based near Chicago that represents an international
technology community of employers, workers, and trainers. CompTIA is building
the National Information Technology Apprenticeship System (NITAS), a
competency-based apprenticeship method that supports consistent and flexible
credentialing of IT workers via an internet-based system that registers,
tracks, and manages participants to ensure they attain skills and competencies.
As part of the effort to institutionalize the IT apprenticeship, CompTIA has
developed skill standards and work processes for several IT career tracks.
NITAS is fully operational and accessible throughout the nation—to both small
and large employers.
According to CompTIA staff, the apprenticeship system holds great
promise for small businesses that employ only a few IT professionals because it
better connects them with the public workforce system. Employers will be able
to use NITAS as a tool to manage their IT workers, especially ensuring that the
competencies and skill levels are current and reflect national standards and IT
trends.
CompTIA is working closely with OA, educational institutions, and the
workforce development system to implement the project. OA is assisting with the
marketing of NITAS throughout the country. Several colleges are serving as
pilot sites for NITAS, testing how their IT curricula fit into the NITAS career
tracks. CompTIA is preparing a set of tools for One-Stop career centers to use
in assessing job seekers to determine their suitability for IT work and to help
direct them to employers.
Although NITAS is still in the early stages of development, CompTIA has
laid the foundation for a national apprenticeship program for the IT industry
that appears to meet the needs of employers and workers. IT managers see the
apprenticeship model as superior to the classroom-only approach to training IT
workers. NITAS will allow for easy verification of the skills level of IT
workers by creating a permanent online resume of the apprentices’ education,
certification, and skills validation. Ultimately, NITAS is expected to help
employers increase productivity by readily identifying employee training needs
that may hinder performance
Outreach and Education A Key to Raising Awareness
and Facilitating Expansion The success of the Registered Apprenticeship
training model depends upon the ability of programs to build partnerships among
their various stakeholders, especially employers, educational organizations,
and the workforce development system. Registered Apprenticeship is a new training
model for most high-growth industries and educating partners about its
structure and benefits, as well as the role they play in implementing the
program, is critical. Involving all partners in the design, development, and
implementation of an apprenticeship program ensures their needs are addressed.
Using this model, apprentices must show their mastery of tasks to move
on to the next level. This approach is proving highly effective.
Apprenticeship
training is helping employees quickly update and learn new skills in the
information technology industry. Studies by the Navy show that IT specialists
reached competency faster using the apprenticeship approach. NITAS, the
web-based apprenticeship tracking system, makes it easier for apprentices and
journey-workers to share their credentials with prospective employers.
Employers who are NITAS members can access information, such as transcripts,
certifications, and skill levels to verify that potential employees meet their
needs and are qualified to hold specific jobs.
Productivity Enhanced by a
Skilled and Competent Workforce The projects reported here are in early stages of
implementation. Several employers have reported improved productivity resulting
from higher effectiveness and efficiency. Studies produced by the Navy, for
example, show that IT specialists reach competency faster using the
apprenticeship approach, which combines classroom instruction and structured
on-the-job experience, than through a more traditional approach that provides
classroom instruction only. These performance indicators will be closely
tracked as the programs mature.
Recruitment and Retention A Top Priority for
Employers Employers across the six industries generally indicated that
recruitment and retention are the main workforce challenges that their
industries face. And for many industries, such as health care, these challenges
come at a high cost. Implementation of apprenticeship programs has helped
employers in these industries retain employees and save money. Investing in
improving worker skills is less costly than recruitment. Apprentices appreciate
the willingness of employers to invest in them by paying for training,
providing incremental wage increases as skills improve, and offering
opportunities for them to advance to higher positions. Additionally, employers
cited reduction in employee turnover rates due to the apprenticeship programs.
Reduced turnover means that employers experience cost savings; they do not have
to constantly recruit and train new employees. Human resources personnel said
they anticipate that the use of skill standards,
Skills Development Essential
to Building Competence Having skilled workers requires employer access to a flexible training
system that helps them continually update worker skills and maintain a
competitive edge. The lack of skilled workers is a major challenge and cuts
across most of the industries discussed in this report. As Registered
Apprenticeship gains acceptance in new industries, it is rapidly becoming a
training system based upon competency development, rather than solely time
spent
Workforce Diversity
Necessary to Mirror the
Local Community The Registered Apprenticeship model as applied in these industries is
helping to increase workplace diversity, providing opportunities to workers
that traditionally have not participated in apprenticeships. Employers from
advanced manufacturing, health care, and the military have made strong efforts
to ensure diverse groups are participating in their apprenticeship programs to
better mirror local communities. Health care, in particular, has emphasized the
need for greater minority participation in its workforce to match the patient
population. This ensures better communication with patients, which in turn
provides better health care.
Nontraditional students, those who do not follow a
formal academic training path, have been targeted in these projects. Several
employers said that students often perform better using the apprenticeship
model because it allows them to move at their own pace. It also allows them to
directly apply what they learn in their jobs, which helps them become more
competent at a faster pace. This appears to be the case for both incumbent
workers as well as dislocated workers. The Indiana National Guard, for example,
uses the apprenticeship model to train Guard members returning from active
duty.
Next Steps
In addition to the seven industries considered in this report, OA is pressing
ahead with developing Registered Apprenticeship in several other high-growth
industries. The industries include automotive, retail trade, hospitality,
financial services, and energy. The early trends from the seven industries will
facilitate the development of these new ventures.
Robert
Wilson | Profile LinkedIn
|Military Network LinkedIn | http://mil-net.us
Robert@Mil-Net.us | 859.428.8163
|Military Network LinkedIn | http://mil-net.us
Robert@Mil-Net.us | 859.428.8163
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