National Apprenticeship Week

Eakinomics: National Apprenticeship Week We are in the midst of National Apprenticeship Week (November 8-14), which was created by the Department of Labor (DOL) in 2015 to highlight apprenticeship programs and their success in providing Americans with valuable skills and an improved ability to support themselves and their families. This is a good opportunity to review the state of apprenticeship programs in the United States, and AAF has been running a series of insights by Isabel Soto on the week as a whole and specific aspects of apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeships are a well-worn model dating to the Middle Ages, but they are also a potentially valuable tool to meet new challenges arising from the rapidly changing nature of work. As Soto puts it, “Apprenticeships are often discussed in the context of 'upskilling' or 'reskilling' to meet the new labor-market demands arising largely from automation and emerging industries. Simply put, in order to keep up with technological innovation, changes in business models, and new industries, workers need to develop the skills to perform new duties. The apprenticeship model allows workers to obtain in-demand, specialized, portable credentials and skills without forgoing wages as they learn. Research has shown that apprenticeships can place workers on clear career pathways, lead to greater earning potential, increase overall productivity, and increase retention rates for employers.” At present, one of the key debates is over who certifies that an apprenticeship program meets the necessary quality standard. Traditionally, this has been the DOL under what is known as the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). In conjunction with industry, however, the DOL developed Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs). These use standards recognition entities (SREs) to evaluate and recognize IRAPs. SREs include industry groups, corporations, non-profits, educational institutions, and unions. As the United States climbs out of the deep hole produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, substantial swaths of the economy will likely have to restructure significantly. In some cases this means new jobs, requiring new skills, in new sectors of the economy. Apprenticeships of all flavors will be valuable in meeting this challenge.