A new study commissioned by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) has revealed Registered Apprenticeship Programs - career training alternatives to college in which enrollment has doubled over the past decade - dramatically increases the ability of participants to afford basic needs in their communities, with Union-Affiliated Programs delivering the biggest gains across all Occupational Sectors. The research was performed by Economist Frank Manzo IV of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and Professor Robert Bruno of the Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Registered Apprenticeships are Training Programs in which participants “earn while they learn” and obtain portable, nationally recognized occupational credentials, with tuition costs covered either by employers alone or through joint Labor-Management Organizations negotiated through the collective bargaining process. The vast majority of Registered Apprenticeship investment in the U.S. occurs through the Joint (Union-Affiliated) Apprenticeship Model, which also delivers better wages, completion rates and workforce diversity metrics. Lasting between one and six years, Apprenticeship Programs are structured such that participants earn lower wages as they begin their class-based instruction and on-the-job training, with higher hourly incomes as they progress. These graduated wage scales are typically tied to a percentage of the exit wage (or Journey-Worker rate), which incentivizes employers to hire Apprentices who are more affordable on a per-hour basis than fully trained Journey Workers, while building long-term careers for Workers in industries with high demand.

To Directly Access This Apprenticeship And Training Labor News Story, Go To: DOL Study: Registered Apprenticeships Expand Access to Living Wages for Millions of Workers | Contractor

Read the Report, Living Wages in Registered Apprenticeship Programs: An Assessment by Industry, Demographics, State, and Labor Policy.