Understanding the Capacity of State Apprenticeship Systems: Apprenticeship Evidence-Building Portfolio

The State Apprenticeship Systems Capacity Assessment study will conduct a deep dive into state-level Registered Apprenticeship systems in the United States, specifically exploring ways that the public sector and its key partners support and implement Registered Apprenticeship programs with a lens toward more inclusive and equitable strategies and models. This report is the first in a series of publications based on study findings and provides an overview of federal support for state apprenticeship systems, as well as variation of systems across states in key characteristics. These characteristics include:

• differences across State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Apprenticeship (OA) states in registration of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs;
• strategies for recruiting employers;
• recruitment, placement, and retention of diverse apprentices;
• approaches to expanding apprenticeship in rural areas, and opioid-related strategies;
• the role of financial incentives in expanding apprenticeship;
• the costs of state support for apprentices and the role of federal grants;
• implications of COVID-19 for apprenticeship systems and strategies; and
• measuring state apprenticeship expansion and success: data infrastructure and performance.

To inform this report, we scanned available apprenticeship data, as well as literature and insights from recent studies (conducted within the past four years). In 2023, we will collect additional information on these topics through interviews with key staff and partners from a subset of states to deepen understanding of state apprenticeship system capacity. This report will be used in the selection of those states for further data collection.