How Employers Build a Registered Apprenticeship Program

When skilled workers are scarce, many employers keep posting the same job and hoping someone qualified applies. Apprenticeship takes the opposite approach. Instead of searching for a fully trained worker, the employer hires someone with potential and trains them through a structured program. The model has deep roots in construction trades, and it is spreading to manufacturing, health care, information technology and other fields.

How Registered Apprenticeship works

A Registered Apprenticeship program is a work-based training model validated by the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency. According to the department's Apprenticeship.gov resource, programs share several core components. Apprentices are paid employees from day one and earn progressive wage increases as their skills grow. They learn on the job under the guidance of experienced mentors. They complete related technical instruction, which may happen in a classroom, online or at a community college. They finish with a nationally recognized, portable credential.

Employers design the program around their own needs, including the occupation, the skills required and the length of training. Programs can be run by a single employer or through intermediaries such as industry associations, community colleges or workforce boards that handle paperwork and coordinate instruction for several employers.

Why employers are turning to it

The talent gaps are large and well documented. Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute project that U.S. manufacturing could need up to 3.8 million workers between 2024 and 2033, with 1.9 million roles at risk of going unfilled. In that study, 47 percent of respondents said apprenticeships, work study programs or internships were the most effective way to increase interest in manufacturing careers. We explore that gap in our manufacturing workforce report.

Construction faces a similar squeeze. Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the industry must attract 349,000 net new workers in 2026, largely to replace retirees, and the group has called for expanded industry-driven and government-registered apprenticeship programs. Our coverage of the skilled trades shortage explains why electrical work is especially tight.

Retention is another benefit. Apprentices who see a clear path from entry level to journeyworker, with scheduled raises along the way, have strong reasons to stay. Deloitte's workforce research found that employees who believe they can build future skills are 2.7 times less likely to leave in the next year.

Beyond the trades

Registered Apprenticeship now covers hundreds of occupations. Hospitals use it to train medical assistants, pharmacy technicians and nursing assistants. Information technology firms use it for cybersecurity analysts and software developers. Insurance companies, banks and logistics firms have built programs for roles that once required a four-year degree.

For health systems facing persistent nurse turnover, apprenticeships for support roles can relieve pressure on registered nurses and create a pipeline into nursing itself, a strategy relevant to our hospital staffing report.

Funding and support

Employers do not have to carry every cost alone. Federal and state workforce programs often help pay for related instruction, and some states offer tax credits for each registered apprentice. Local workforce boards can also use Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds to support training for eligible participants. Rules vary by state, so the state apprenticeship office is the best first call.

Employers hiring apprentices under 18 must follow federal child labor rules, which limit hours and bar minors from many hazardous tasks. Limited exemptions exist for registered apprentices and student learners aged 16 and 17, so check the requirements before placing a teenager on the shop floor.

Begin with a role you hire for repeatedly and struggle to fill. Map the skills a fully proficient worker needs and estimate how long it takes to develop them on the job. That map becomes the backbone of the training plan.

Next, identify partners. State apprenticeship offices and local workforce boards can explain registration requirements and connect employers with training providers. In Louisville, KentuckianaWorks supports talent pipelines with local employers, and high school career academies offer an early source of interested students, as we describe in our report on the Academies of Louisville.

Choose mentors carefully. The experienced workers who guide apprentices determine whether the program succeeds. They need time, recognition and some training in how to teach. Treat mentoring as part of their job, not an extra duty squeezed into a busy shift.

Finally, set realistic expectations. Apprenticeship is a long-term investment. The payoff comes in a stable pipeline of skilled workers who know the company's equipment, standards and culture, often in fields where experienced hires are nearly impossible to find.