THE

Strategic Partnerships between Washington’s

Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Systems

APPRENTICESHIPADVANTAGE

• Apprenticeship is a strategic economic growth tool in Washington’s Comprehensive Plan for Workforce Development (High Skills High Wages)

• A win-win proposition – Workforce Development partners are realizing that Apprenticeship helps the state achieve it’s policy goals.

• Word is getting out: Apprenticeship is the Nordstrom’s of talent development

THE STRATEGIC APPRENTICESHIPADVANTAGE

• Partnership building, public policy efforts and funding investments have made a difference

• 2003 Investment of Governor’s WIA 10% funding

• Apprenticeship Utilization requirements

• Running Start to the Trades for secondary pre-apprenticeship

• Community College Growth funding

APPRENTICESHIP IS A FOCUS OF PUBLIC POLICY

Strategy for partnering with Workforce partners

• First, find and meet the people in charge,

and build a relationship. • Show up, be nice, and keep showing up!

• Second, explain what apprenticeship is

and why it is important.• Especially the data supporting the outstanding

workforce outcomes brought by apprenticeship

• Third, challenge stereotypes and dispel

myths.

Myth

Apprenticeship equals dead-end trades jobs.

Blue Collar careers are the only apprenticeship option

Complicated and takes too much time, not worth the effort.

THE ABC’S OF APPRENTICESHIP

Reality

Apprenticeship is an amazing talent development tool

Blue collar, white collar, green collar — apprenticeship is a good fit for most occupations

Competency-based education that pays, and staff that are eager to build successes.

VS

How do you get workforce partners to come to the table?

• Focus on the results that matter to them:• Putting people to work (especially certain

people)• Getting people into training• Increasing economic vitality of industry

partners

• Explain how the partnership can be

mutually beneficial.• They have people looking for work and/or skills

training; you are looking for people to go to work and get trained.

• They are looking to boost key industry clusters

• Success begets success - Workforce partners respond well to data that shows the benefits of apprenticeship

• Certain data has turned heads of workforce partners toward Apprenticeship in Washington State. • Growth• Money• Comparative analysis• Net benefits to the system

APPRENTICESHIPIn Washington State

Apprenticeship Opportunities on the Rise

Number of Active Apprentices on the last day of each MonthJan 2000 - November 2007 (Jan 2000 - 8699; November 2007 - 14592)

7000

8000

9000

10000

11000

12000

13000

14000

15000

Jan-

00

Apr-0

0

Jul-0

0

Oct-00

Jan-

01

Apr-0

1

Jul-0

1

Oct-01

Jan-

02

Apr-0

2

Jul-0

2

Oct-02

Jan-

03

Apr-0

3

Jul-0

3

Oct-03

Jan-

04

Apr-0

4

Jul-0

4

Oct-04

Jan-

05

Apr-0

5

Jul-0

5

Oct-05

Jan-

06

Apr-0

6

Jul-0

6

Oct-06

Jan-

07

Apr-0

7

Jul-0

7

Oct-07

Why the dramatic increase?

• The large public investment in infrastructure (roads,

buildings, energy, etc) that have come from a few

year's worth of good economic climates and the

increase in commercial/industrial building efforts

• Coupled with the accumulative effect of many state

and local the apprenticeship utilization

requirements. These are laws that require 15 – 20%

of total labor hours on a project to come from

registered apprentices

• And the departure/retirements of many Baby Boom

age workers in the building/construction workforce.

Apprentices make as much money as college graduates

$18,734

$27,915

$51,206 $52,377

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

No HS diploma High School

Graduate

College graduate Apprenticeship

graduate

AnnualWagesper 2005U.S.censusdata

Source: US census wage data and WA State Workforce Board report “Workforce Training Results 2006”

Apprentices make more money than completers of other workforce training programs

Annualized Earnings for Completers of Training Programs in 2004

$10,035 $12,478$18,352 $19,905 $23,486 $24,545 $27,929

$52,377

Secon

dary

CT

E

DV

R

WIA

Ad

ults

Private C

areerS

chools

CT

C Job

Prep

atory

CT

C W

orker

Retrain

ing

WIA

Dislocated

Work

ers

Ap

pren

ticeship

Source: WTECB Workforce Results 2006

Benefit Analysis of WA Workforce Programs

• Participant benefits are comprised of earnings (minus taxes) and employee benefits and “transfers”. Transfers include

UI, TANF, Food Stamps, and medical benefits. For this measure all benefits are forecasts based upon individual earnings

to age 65.

• Costs include foregone earnings, and program costs (tuition, etc.)

• Net Benefit = All benefits – all costs.

• All data from the 2006 Workforce Training Results study.

Net Benefits of Workforce Training ProgramsPer Indivudal

$85,442

$220,874

$10,999

$28,966$46,254

$38,213$25,769

$-

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

$250,000

CTC JobPreparatory

Training

Apprenticeship CTC WorkerRetraining

WIA DislocatedWorker Program

Department ofVocational

RehabilitationPrograms

SecondaryCommunity and

Technical Education

WIA YouthProgram

Steps you can take next week…• TEGL and donuts: Go meet your local WIB

director and OneStop management and

staff.

• Be prepared to commit your time!• Advisory committees, partnership boards,

other committees.

• Knowledge is power: The more you know

about them, the more you benefit from the

system.

• Offer to conduct Apprenticeship training for One Stop Staff and WDC/WIB participants and partners• How to make quality referrals to apprenticeship• They have little budget for training, and love to do

partner events

• Create WIA Training for Apprenticeship staff• Look into getting your apprenticeship programs

onto the Eligible Training Provider List• Expand the local and state policy discussion

around the TEGL • Explore ways to count apprenticeship toward local

and statewide WIA Performance Measures

Steps you can take next week…

Beyond Workforce Development: Building the K-12 pipeline to apprenticeship• After they see the positive outcomes, many schools are eager to

create connections with local apprenticeship programs, preparing

students specifically for these opportunities.

• As they do this, they teach the skills that are elemental to the

State Exam and prepare kids for specific occupations and

apprenticeships.

• Explain the skills you need: Generally, the most important skills to

apprenticeship are demonstrated competency in applying math,

reasoning and work readiness.

• Navigation 101 – Integrate apprenticeship into career guidance in

Washington’s education system, grades 6 – 12.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

www.Apprenticeship.wa.gov

Washington State Departmentof Labor & Industries Website

Thank You!

Elizabeth Smith

Program ManagerWashington State Department of Labor & Industries Office of ApprenticeshipSMEL235@LNI.wa.gov360.902.5320