1

REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS: IMPROVING THE PIPELINE FOR 

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

July 2015| Final Report 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the 

views, official opinion or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. This document was developed by 

Economic Systems Inc. 
2 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary 3

Actions for the Office of Disability Employment Policy to Consider 3

Other Strategies That Could Be Used to Promote Registered Apprenticeships at the Federal Level 4

Introduction 5

Background 5

Federal Regulations 6

Revised Regulations 6

The Evolution of Registered Apprenticeships 7

Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System 10

Registered Apprenticeship Initiatives Focused on People with Disabilities 10

Transition into Registered Apprenticeship Careers and Employment 10

Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program 11

Home Builder Institute 12

Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Grant Initiative – WorkPlace, Inc. and SkillSource Group, Inc. 12

Other Federally-Funded Initiatives Related to Apprenticeship 14

YouthBuild 14

High-Growth Industry Initiatives 15

Discretionary Grants 15

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grants 16

Expanding Apprenticeships for Good Middle Class Jobs 17

Broad Challenges for Registered Apprenticeship Programs 18

Employer Costs Associated with Apprenticeship Programs 18

Limited Connection to Education and Workforce Systems 18

Lack of Integration with Workforce Development 18

Low Female Enrollment 19

Workplace and Academic Competency 20

Low Completion Rates 20

Challenges for People with Disabilities 20

Self-Disclosure 20

High School Diploma or High School Equivalency (HSE) 20

Transportation 21

Lack of Pay During Training 21

Community Based Organizations’ Lack of Awareness 21

Workplace and Academic Competency 21

Employers’ Attitudes Toward Hiring People with Disabilities 22

Interview Findings 22

A Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities for Apprenticeship Sponsors 23

Federal and State Collaboration 23

Flexibility in Updating Occupational Codes 23

Flexibility in Updating Competency Models 23

Pre-Apprenticeship Programs Linked to Registered Apprenticeship Programs 23

Appealing to Apprentices with Undiagnosed Learning Disabilities 24

Strategies and Recommendations 24

Actions for the Office of Disability Employment Policy to Consider 24

Other Strategies Agencies That Could Be Used to Promote Registered Apprenticeships at the Federal Level 25

Appendix A. References 26
3 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Many of America’s jobseekers desire to participate in the modernglobal economy, but may lack the skills 

and education needed to be successful.Although jobs increasingly demand it, quality education is costly and 

may therefore be unattainable for some people. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation 

and Development (OECD) 2013 report entitled Time for the U.S. to Reskill? What the Survey of Adult Skills

Says, “Of the three skills domains, and comparing the U.S. with other countries, the U.S. performance 

is weak on literacy, very poor on numeracy, but only a little worse than average on problem solving in 

technology rich environments. Broadly speaking the weakness affects the entire skills distribution, so 

that the U.S. has proportionately more people with weak skills than some other countries and fewer 

people with strong skills.” As a result, businesses are reporting that they cannot find qualified staff. This 

trend not only affects recent high school graduates, but also adults in disadvantaged populations - women, 

minorities, and people with disabilities - where the unemployment rate is much higher than the average. If 

needs for training and education are not addressed, the U.S. will face critical shortages as the Baby Boomer

generation begins to retire. 

Historically, people with disabilities face several barriers to employment, including employer biases, 

employability skills, attitudes, and misinformation (Ju, Zhang, Pacha, 2012). Employment outcomes 

among people with disabilities have consistently been lower than employment outcomes among people 

without disabilities (Houtenville, Stapleton, Weathers &Burkhauser, 2009). In July 2012, the U.S. 

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions released their report, Unfinished 

Business: Making Employment of People with Disabilities a National Priority. The report calls for 

continued engagement with the business community to significantly improve recruiting, hiring, and 

retaining practices and to address any policy or practical barriers that would hinder employment of 

people with disabilities. Completion of a Registered Apprenticeship (RA) program should be 

considered as a possible option for promoting successful long-term employment outcomes for people 

with disabilities at competitive salaries and with little or no educational debt. 

Apprenticeship is a time-tested system where entry-level professionals “earn while they learn,” and it 

is accessible to all levels of the labor force.RA programs sponsored by employers, joint labor 

management organizations, and others, and overseen by USDOL, offer paid on-the-job learning with 

related technical classroom instruction that can lead to a long-term career pathway and sustained 

employment. Recent regulation changes and new occupations in emerging industries make RA a 

valuable resource for jobseekers, particularly those without a postsecondary education. 

The following strategies, if implemented, could help to improve the pipeline into RA for people with 

disabilities: 

Actions for the Office of Disability Employment Policy to Consider

1. Convene a roundtable of employers who hire people with disabilities and introduce the concept of 

developing apprentice able occupations. Companies that are leading the way in hiring people with 

disabilities should be publicized in mainstream media so that more employers can learn from their 

experiences. 

2. Showcase an apprenticeship model among disability-friendly businesses. The Office of Disability 

Employment Policy (ODEP) can promote the apprenticeship model to disability-friendly employers. 

Corporations might be interested in developing a RA program.
4

3. Collaborate with Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to promote apprenticeship for 

people with disabilities. Agencies that provide employment services to people with disabilities need to 

know the benefits of adopting the RA model. ODEP could partner with RSA, the Office of Special 

Education Programs (OSEP), and other offices under the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to promote 

this career strategy to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors, service providers and special 

education coordinators, and transition specialists.

4. Launch a pre-apprenticeship career path awareness campaign. ODEP and OA could orchestrate an 

awareness campaign, “Pre-apprenticeship should always lead to Registered Apprenticeship.” The 

campaign could highlight the benefits and the importance of developing a program that is directly tied to 

the RA and its link to a career path.

5. Feature RA on its website. Consideration could be given to including an employer focus area that 

includes a checklist on how to create an apprenticeship program that recruits people with disabilities, 

hiring practices, sample diversity statements, descriptions of tax incentives, resources for finding 

workers, and samples of best practices.

Other Strategies That Could Be Used to Promote Registered Apprenticeships at the Federal Level

1. Issue Policy Guidance to promote alignment of RA with workforce development. Additional policy 

guidance could be issued by DOL to encourage better collaboration between the workforce system and 

state and federal apprenticeship offices. 

2. Establish RA programs in growth industries. The Department of Health and Human Services, the 

Department of Education (ED), the National Science Foundation, and DOL could consider establishing 

a competitive grant initiative to develop and expand apprenticeship programs in emerging growth 

industries such as health and technologyfor people with disabilities.This would expand apprenticeship 

programs beyond typical construction programs and manufacturing fields.

3. Recruit people with disabilities for RA. ODEP, OA, and ED should consider developing a joint 

strategy for recruiting more youth and adults with disabilities into RA.

4. Incorporate apprenticeships into transition planning. The Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) is the federal act designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities by ensuring that 

everyone receives an appropriate public education. IDEA requires that transition planning begin no later 

than at age 16. Transition planning is a component of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) which 

is mandated by IDEA. In transition planning, the IEP team, comprised of the student, educators, 

specialists, and parents, considers areas such as postsecondary education or vocational training, 

employment, independent living, and community participation. ED and DOL should work together 

collaboratively to ensure that information is provided regarding RA as a possible option during transition 

planning.
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INTRODUCTION

In July 2012, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions released their 

report, Unfinished Business: Making Employment of People with Disabilities a National Priority. The 

report calls for continued engagement with the business community to significantly improve recruiting, 

hiring, and retaining practices and to address any policy or practical barriers that would hinder 

employment of people with disabilities. This paper provides an overview of RAand how it can be 

utilized to increase the employment of people with disabilities.

DOL describes apprenticeship1as a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom 

instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. 

RA

2

is a program that connects jobseekers looking to learn new skills with employers looking for 

qualified workers. Employers, employer associations, and joint labor-management organizations, 

known collectively as "sponsors," provide apprentices with paid on-the-job learning and academic

instruction that reflects industry needs. The goal of such instruction is to provide workers with 

advanced skill sets that meet the specific needs of their employers.

The current report provides an overview of RA and presents strategies for increasing employment of 

people with disabilities through participation in it. The aim of the report is to:

Highlight the RA program as a career planning strategy.

Emphasize the need for career and technical education preparation and planning.

Identify job growth industries in the RA program.

The methodology used to develop this report consisted ofconducting a literature review and discussions with 

community-based organizations, state apprenticeship agency contacts, public school transition coordinators, 

disability serving non-profit organizations, American Job Centers, unions, and vocational rehabilitation 

offices. The report, initially produced by Economic Systems in 2012, was updated for public release in 2014 

in response to the Obama Administration’s April 14, 2014 call to double the number of U.S. Registered

Apprenticeships within five years.

Background

Wisconsin created the first state RAsystem in 1911, and in 1937 Congress passed the National 

Apprenticeship Act (also known as the Fitzgerald Act) to regulate apprenticeship and on-the-job 

training programs. This law was enacted “to promote the furtherance of labor standards of 

apprenticeshipto extend the application of such standards by encouraging the inclusion thereof in 

contracts of apprenticeship, to bring together employers and labor for the formulation of programs of 

apprenticeship, to cooperate with State agencies in the formulation of standards of apprenticeship.

3

"

Following the passage of the Act, RA programs operated mainly in the manufacturing, construction,

and utilities industries. After World War II, new programs emerged to train emergency responders, 

police, firefighters, and health and safety workers. In August 2012, America celebrated the 75th

anniversary of the Fitzgerald Act. Current regulations acknowledge the role of state agencies to 

register and oversee apprenticeship programs.The Office of Apprenticeship (OA) located in DOL’s 

 

1

http://www.doleta.gov/jobseekers/apprent.cfm, accessed August 10, 2012

2

http://www.doleta.gov/OA/apprenticeship.cfm, accessed August 10, 2012

3

http://www.doleta.gov/OA/fitzact_code.cfm, accessed August 10, 2012
6

Employment and Training Administration (ETA), oversees and works in partnership with 26 State 

Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs) including the District of Columbia and Guam. For the remaining 

states that do not have SAAs, Federal staff is assigned to register programs and apprentices. 

Collectively, these agencies register programs that meet Federal and state standards and issue 

Certificates of Completion to apprentices.

In order to become RAeligible, apprenticeship sponsors must adhere to government rules regarding 

length of training, safety, wage, quality, and equal employment protections for apprentices (Alstadt, 

2011). From an operational perspective, RA programs include a minimum of 2,000 hours of on-the-job 

learning and 144 hours of classroom training. In some cases, time-based requirements are reduced if 

competency-based assessments are implemented. Upon program completion, an apprentice receives an 

industry-recognized certificate. This Registered Apprenticeship Certificate of Completionis a portable 

credential and appealingto apprentices and employers. A 2012 study released by Georgetown 

University’s Center on Education and Workforce suggests that certificates are the fastest growing form 

of postsecondary credentials in the United States. Carnevale, Rose, and Hanson (2012) showed that, on 

average, workers with certificates earn 20 percent more than workers with high school diplomas. 

According to ETA’s Ten Notice No. 44-11 (May 2012), the average starting wage for an apprentice 

was $16.01 per hour ($33,301 per year), with wages upon completion of a three- to four- year 

apprenticeship at$26.36 per hour ($54,829 per year).

Federal Regulations

The Federal regulations governing the apprenticeship programs are found in Title 29, Parts 29 and 30 

of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and 

Training regulations include policies and procedures to promote equality of opportunity in 

apprenticeship programs registered with DOL and recognized by state apprenticeship agencies (SAAs). 

Title 29, Part 30 states, “The purpose of this part is to promote equality of opportunity in 

apprenticeship by prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex in 

apprenticeship programs, by requiring affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in such 

apprenticeship programs, and by coordinating this part with other equal opportunity programs.”4The 

term “disability” is not referenced in the Equal Opportunity Standards.

Revised Regulations

On December 29, 2008, DOL published a rule to update the National Apprenticeship System. The new 

regulationsmade the following changes:

Apprentice completion: Program sponsors now have three ways for apprentices to complete a 

program. They are: competency-based, time-based, and a hybrid of the two approaches. 

Interim credentials: Registration agencies can issue interim credentials to apprentices for 

completing components of the occupation. Apprentices’ benefit by formal acknowledgement of

their proficiency.

Technology-based learning: Distance learning and broader uses of technology in related 

instructions are supported.

Program performance standards: The new framework enhances the focus on improving overall 

program quality.

 

4

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title29/29cfr30_main_02.tpl, accessed 

August 10, 2012
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Provisional registration: Afterone year, newly registered programs are evaluated for quality 

control. During the provisional status, program sponsors have an opportunity to receive 

technical assistance.

The Evolution of Registered Apprenticeships

Even though the concept behind the apprenticeship model has not changed much, the types of 

industries using apprenticeship to develop and build their workforce has changed greatly. 

Apprenticeships can be found today in all industries, from traditional sectors like construction and 

manufacturing to emerging sectors like energy (including agribusiness and biofuels), health care, 

information technology, tourism, transportation, distribution and logistics, and service industries. More 

than 950 occupations are available in RA. Table 1 shows the top 30 occupations and Table 2 shows 

new programs and apprentices by industry from traditional industriessuch as construction and 

manufacturing to emerging industries like health care and information technology. 
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Table 1. Top 30 Occupations by Active Apprentices, FY 2013—Federal Workload

Occupational Title Total

Electrician 36,237

Carpenter 13,685

Plumber 12,116

Pipe Fitter 8,665

Construction Craft Laborer 7,901

Sheet Metal Worker 7,101

Roofer 5,285

Structural Steel/Ironworker 4,651

Painter 3,254

Pipe Fitter – Sprinkler Fitter 3,052

Line Maintainer 2,751

Dry-Wall Applicator 2,712

Line Erector 2,453

Millwright 2,286

Chief, Cook (Water Transportation) 2,196

Operating Engineer 2,191

Boilermaker I 1,720

Heating & Air-Conditioner Installer Service 1,535

Cement Mason 1,401

Elevator Construction Mechanic 1,383

Insulation Worker 1,352

Line Installer-Repairer 1,317

Electrician, Maintenance 1,116

Truck Driver, Heavy 1,121

Glazier 1,065

Housekeeper, Commercial, Residential, 

Industrial 1,030

Floor Layer 1,018

Telecommunications Technician 986

Correction Officer 976

Machinist 974

Source: Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS) database, Fiscal Year 

2013, extract as of June 2014.
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Table 2. New Programs and Apprentices by Industry—Federal Workload5, FY 2013

Industry

New 

Programs

New 

Apprentices6

Active During 

Programs

Active During 

Apprentices7

Accommodation and Food 

Services

11 142 191 613

Administrative and Waste 

Services

6 325 88 929

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing 

and Hunting

0 110 18 515

Construction 344 38,001 5,494 113,227

Educational Services 17 11,191 342 31,246

Finance and Insurance 0 28 21 150

Healthcare and Social 

Assistance

27 529 578 1,304

Information 2 62 32 326

Manufacturing 140 4,240 1,973 13,796

Mining, Quarrying and Oil 

and Gas Extraction

0 36 32 221

Other Services (except Public 

Administration)

25 877 285 1,949

Professional and Technical 

Services

6 65 75 263

Public Administration and 

National Security

28 8,268 592 14,415

Retail Trade 7 510 310 1,799

Transportation 3 3,620 75 8,266

Utilities 31 3,024 686 7,702

Wholesale Trade 7 439 51 1,351

All Other Industries 2 43 24 111

Total 656 71,510 10,867 198,183

Source: RAPIDS Performance Score Card Report 01/16/2014

In the past, vocational and technical colleges were the primary educational providers for apprenticeship 

programs. Now, however, new partnerships have emerged with career and technical education programs 

offered by public schools and community colleges. Some apprentices even earn associate or bachelor's 

degrees while they learn on the job. Many apprenticeship programs, particularly in high-growth industries, 

now offer interim credentials and training certificates based on a competency model that leads to a 

 

5

Federal workload - programs and apprentices managed by Federal employees in the 25 Office of 

Apprenticeship states and Federal administrated programs in State Apprenticeship Agencies.

6 New Apprentices/Programs - apprentices/programs registered during the period. 

7 Active During Apprentices/Programs - active during the period (active at begin of period + newly 

registered during the period).
10

Certificate of Completion. There may be beginning, intermediate, advanced, and specialty certification 

levels. RA programs also allow credit for previous apprenticeship-related experience. Other advantages 

include higher wages, portable credentials, and ongoing career advancement. 

Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System

OA maintains the Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS), a national 

database of RA programs and apprentices. The majority of the RA programs are in the building and 

construction trades. OA reports capture data on the characteristics of registered apprentices beyond 

gender, age, and minority status. Since disability status is not a required data element, current data do 

not measure the number of individuals with disabilities participating in RA programs. 

Registered ApprenticeshipInitiatives Focused on People with Disabilities

There have been only a few Federally-funded RA grantsfocused on people with disabilities. The 

distinction of being a RA program requires that the program be registered with OA or SAA. Many 

career-training programs for people with disabilities call themselves “apprenticeship” programs, 

although they are not RA. 

Transition into Registered Apprenticeship Careers and Employment

One exception was when RSA awarded agrant to the New Mexico Vocational Rehabilitation Agency 

to develop the Transition into Registered Apprenticeship Careers and Employment (TRACE)pilot 

programexclusively for people with disabilities. Grant activities were carried on from 2000to 2006. 

Careers included certified nursing assistants, construction trades, job coaches, and disability 

adjudicators under the Medicaid-Buy-In program. Under TRACE, vocational rehabilitation (VR) staff 

assisted employers in developing new apprenticeships in the social services occupations. Their 

findings demonstrated that people with learning disabilities are very successful in apprenticeship 

programs because the teaching approach includes one-on-one instruction. Additionally,apprenticeship 

was found to be an excellent method of training for visual learners, who learn best by being shown 

how to do something. A few of their major achievements are highlighted in Table 3.

Table 3. TRACE Accomplishments

Criteria Outlined in grant Number 

Required

Number 

Achieved

Numbers served overall 171 514

Apprenticeship Awareness - 514

Pre Apprenticeship - 23

Registered Apprenticeship- Existing 25 71

Registered Apprenticeship-New 46 3

Development of New Registered Apprenticeships 

Standards8 4 10

Source: 2006 Final Performance and Financial Report, New Mexico Public Education Department, Division 

of Vocational Rehabilitation

 

8

The 2006 TRACE Final Report states “This number reflected only the standards actually registered. Three 

additional ones were developed, but the employers later on decided not to register the programs.”
11

According to their 2006 Final Report, the TRACE program accomplished the following: 

Maintained working relationship with clients, parents, apprenticeship coordinators, schools, 

and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) counselors.

Created an overall increase in awareness of apprenticeship throughout New Mexico.

Assisted clients to have a better standard of living. The average salary per hour prior to 

apprenticeship employment was $5.60.After apprenticeship employment, the average starting 

wage was $9.54 per hour. 

Developed a series of manuals, flyers, vocational counseling guidance sheets, forms, and 

policies and procedures to replicate in other states. Information was available in Spanish, 

English, and Braille.

Produced financial savings with respect to tax dollars spent on DVR clients because employers 

paid for the training. 

Client surveys indicated that they had a greater job satisfaction after entering apprenticeship.

DVR counselors had an increased appreciation for apprenticeship options for their clients.

Evaluation Findings

The first two years of the grant was devoted to building relationships with employers and DVR 

counselors. Even though the TRACE program was only able to place three people in new 

apprenticeships, they referred many more. The grant found it was easier to place clients in existing 

programs because there were more employers and employment opportunities. From the TRACE 

database, the grant evaluator determined the following:

Average age served was 30.6.

Among those hired: 94 percent were male, 6 percent were female and 56 percent were 

Hispanic, 4 percent were American Indian, 2 percentwere African American, and 38 

percentwere White.

Among those served in general: 79.1 percent were male;and 20.9 percent were female. 

Ethnicity was 45.8 percent Hispanic, 9.9 percent American Indian, 4.7 percent African 

American, and 39.6 percent White.

Average wage before TRACE was $4.97 and average starting wage in apprenticeship was 

$9.54 an hour. The highest wage was $28.00 an hour and the lowest $5.60 an hour.(Note: Some

clients did not have a previous history of work to use as comparison, so it pulled the average 

down below minimum wage.)

Average increase over pre-apprenticeship wages was 92.9 percent.

Average cost per placement was $376. 

Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program

The Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce 

Development in cooperation with the Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Technical 

College System, and the University of Wisconsin System. High school juniors and seniors in 

Wisconsin who participate in YA choose a career field in a statewide industry-recognized curriculum. 

The program, started in 1992, now offers opportunities in health services; hospitality, lodging, and 

tourism; information technology; manufacturing; science, technology and math; and transportation, 

logistics, and distribution. 

During high school, participants (inclusive of students with disabilities) are placed at a worksite in an 

entry-level position where they receive on-the-job training (OJT) and work, on average, 10 to 15 hours 
12

per week. Students take three to six hours of technical courses per week. During the two-year program, 

the youth are rotated through competencies at the workplace and through the technical courses. After 

two years, youth not only graduate with a high school diploma, but also earn an industry-recognized 

certificate of occupational proficiency and are eligible to receive advance credits at a Wisconsin 

university or technical college. 

In 2003, the Center on Education and Work conducted an exploratory study, funded by the U.S. 

Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, to examine the 

quality of youth experiences while being enrolled in the Wisconsin YA program. Their study involved 

conducting interviews with former youth apprentices who participated in the YA program between 

1994 and 2000. In the graduating Class of 2000, YA produced 545 youth apprentices representing 21 

different occupational fields. Ten percent of the youth apprentices documented disability status; 

approximately 84 percent of those with disabilities cited learning disabilities as their primary or 

secondary disability (Scholl and Mooney, 2004). The study showed that factors which enhanced 

overall success were: high levels of program coordination/organization; meaningful communication 

between stakeholders; a good fit between a young’s person abilities and their chosen occupation; an 

exceptional worksite placement; and relevant classroom instruction that integrated academic and 

technical competencies.

Home Builder Institute

The Home Builder Institute (HBI), an affiliate program of the National Association of Home Builders, 

has a long-standing commitment of training youth, young adults, and underserved communities 

including people with disabilities. HBI’s core offerings include training, job placement, mentoring 

curriculum development, and pre-apprenticeship. HBI’s program, Project Hope, has helped more than 

600 workers with disabilities in industry-related jobs and careers in the building and construction 

trades. HBI contracts DOL’s Job Corps and works with YouthBuild programs. Job Corps is a 

residential education and training program for disadvantaged youth, ages 16 to 24, to earn a high 

school diploma or high school equivalency (HSE). The program offers participants opportunities to 

obtain academic and career technical credentials and assists them with securing placement in 

education, employment, registered apprenticeship, or the military upon graduation from the program.

Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Grant Initiative – WorkPlace, Inc. and SkillSource 

Group, Inc.

In 2009, ODEP launched a grant initiative to provide apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training to 

youth and young adults with disabilities, ages 16 - 27.The WorkPlace, Inc. in Bridgeport, Connecticut 

received $200,000 in funding and the SkillSource Group, Inc. in Vienna, Virginia received $243,631 to

develop models of providing inclusive RA and pre-apprenticeship training to youth and young adults 

with disabilities. Both consortia had a 24-month period of performance to test and evaluate innovative 

models in high-growth industries with the possibility to continue beyond that period. 

The WorkPlace developed a three tier pre-apprenticeship program designed to strengthen youth and 

young adults with disabilities’ work readiness skills by tailoring the services to fit the youth’s needs on 

a customized basis. To identify pre-apprenticeship sites, the WorkPlace leveraged its Summer Earn 

and Learn Program’s employer relationships (e.g., OSA Heating and Cooling, Alpha Community

Services, Dave’s Auto, Recording Studio, and Melt Restaurant). Youth were recruited from state and 

local organizations that served youth with disabilities such as theBureau of Rehabilitative Services 

(BRS) and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). The Workplace also 
13

positioned the RA initiative as an additional service of its Youth Works program to recruit youth and 

young adults with disabilities. 

The SkillSource Group, Inc. also received funding to provide pre-apprenticeship services to youth and 

young adults with disabilities by leveraging its relationships with the Summer Youth Employment 

Program’s employers (e.g., Reston Community Shelter, City Café, Columbia Pike Animal Hospital, 

and Alexandria Seaport). The core pre-apprenticeship services included: 1) voluntary soft skills 

training sessions; 2) education courses; and 3) paid, pre-apprenticeship work experiences. 

Relationships were established with the Bridges to Success Program, the SkillSource Group, Inc.’s

Ticket to Work program, and Virginia’s Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to 

recruit youth and young adults with disabilities. Pre-apprenticeship experiences provided participants 

with on-the-job training, the ability to fulfill meaningful job responsibilities, and the opportunity to 

hone employment skills. 

Both grantees completed their projects in 2013.

Lessons Learned 

Youth and adults benefit from soft skill development, career exploration, and individualized 

services: The WorkPlace’s RA and pre-apprenticeship participants’ mean age was 19.5 and the 

SkillSource’s participants’ mean age was 22.5. The older mean average of these youth participants 

would lead one to believe that their soft skills would be better developed. Yet, the WorkPlace’s 

comprehensive assessment demonstrated that adult participants, like their younger peers, lacked work 

readiness skills, and that access to soft skills development, career exploration, and individualized 

services based on participants’ interests and strengths actually improved the employment and postsecondary placement levels of both youth and young adults.These practices have now been 

institutionalized in Workplace’s YouthWorks program, and it is now tracking the acquisition of 

indicators such as soft skills to be considered proficient in either employment or post-secondary rather 

than only focusing on common core measures. 

Meaningful partnerships lead to results: As a result of the SkillSource’s coordination with the 

Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board and WIA Program, the RA and pre-apprenticeship 

program received more referrals from the WIA program. The number of young adults with a 

documented disability enrolled in the WIA Youth Program in Northern Virginia was 30 percent at 

project inception and increased to 36 percent over the course of the grant. 

Another example is in Connecticut, where WorkPlace, the One-Stop that was the apprenticeship grantee, 

created a combined orientation that allowed for youth and their parents to hear about the RA and preapprenticeship program model. The WorkPlace also trained the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) 

counselors on its program’s eligibility requirements to recruit potential youth apprentices from BRS.

BRS in turn trained YouthWorks, the WorkPlace’s WIA-funded youth provider’s staff, on servicing 

customers with disabilities. This program has created stronger relationships that are still bearing fruit 

today. Because of the collaborative relationships established, YouthWorks has seen an increase of 86 

percent enrollment of youth that are attached to either BRS or the Department of Mental Health and 

Addiction Services (DMHAS).

Balance youth’s preferences with employers’ needs: The SkillSource and the WorkPlace stafflearned 

thata comprehensive assessment and career exploration process were important in helping to ensure a 

good match between employees and employers. This underscored the need to include an employer voice 
14

in the design and implementation of future programming. When employer endorsed skills are built into 

the program, this ultimately makes hiring easier later on.

High quality learning environment: The WorkPlace grantee noticed that RA and pre-apprenticeship

participants tested lower on the final exit exam and/or expressed doubt about leaving the program when 

the next step was to be placed into a work site. To address this issue, WorkPlace created a simulated 

workplacetraining site that set the same high expectations that they knew an employer would ask of a 

participant to mentally prepare youth for the transition to a “real” employment site.

Competency models facilitate the acquisition of skills: Use of the competency models for preapprenticeship placements9

allowed youth to understand how skills acquisition happens on multiple 

levels. Often youth only see the hard, technical skills yet the competency models allows for the soft 

skills to be intertwined with the hard skills. All youth completed a Personal Development Profile to set a 

strategy to manage their personal and career goals.

Guideposts for Success can help steer youth service professionals, families, institutions, and youth 

themselves through the transition process: Using the Guideposts for Success, 

10framework 

encouraged the WorkPlace to engage parents and other significant people to support the growth of 

participants who are a part of its YouthWorks program. 

Other Federally-Funded Initiatives Related to Apprenticeship

YouthBuild

YouthBuild is a community-based academic and occupational skills training program which serves youth 

ages 16-24 who are high school drop outs. The primary target populations for the YouthBuild program 

include foster care youth or youth aging out of foster care, youth offenders, childrenof incarcerated parents, 

migrant youth, and youth with disabilities. Youth split their time between educational activities leading to 

the completion of a high school diploma or state-recognized equivalency degree, and occupational skills 

training in construction while building or renovating homes for low-income or homeless individuals or 

families. In 2012, YouthBuild expanded occupational skills training beyond construction intoother indemand occupations as evidenced by local labor market information. Under WIOA, activities in high 

demand industries and occupations in addition to construction are authorized as are both pre-apprenticeship 

and RA.In order to be considered a pre-apprenticeship program, local YouthBuild programs must 

demonstrate required components of a quality pre-apprenticeship program as outlined in the Department’s 

Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 13-12 entitled Defining a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program and 

Related Tools and Resources.

11While there are no targeted services specifically for youth with disabilities, 

 

9A competency model is a descriptive tool that documents the foundational and technical skills and 

competencies required for workplace success in industries. More information about competency 

models is available on 

http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/ETA_industry_competency_initiative.aspx.

10The Guideposts for Successframework, developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and 

Disability for Youth (NCWD/Y) in collaboration with ODEP,reflects what research identifies as key 

educational and career development interventions that make a positive difference in the lives of all youth, 

including youth with disabilitiesincluding: (a) school-based preparatory experiences, (b) career preparation 

and work-based learning experiences, (c) youth development and leadership, (d) connecting, and (e) family

engagement.

11 Under WIOA activities, Youth formula funds can also be used to support pre-apprenticeship training, and 

RA is recognized as a career pathway under Job Corps.
15

these youth areeligible to participate in the program and receive training and support services available to all 

eligible participants. 

High-Growth Industry Initiatives

Since their inception, apprenticeship programs in the U.S. have been highly concentrated in 

construction and, manufacturing, and other selected fields, such as transportation, public safety, and 

some military occupations, and have been considered to be a lead agent in providing pathways out of 

poverty for disadvantaged groups such as person with disabilities and women. Between 2009 and 

2010, DOL invested roughly $500 million in green jobs grants under the American Reinvestment and 

Recovery Act. One category of funding, the Pathways Out of Poverty Grants, disbursed $150 million 

to help disadvantaged populations, including people with disabilities, find opportunities, including 

apprenticeships, to move out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency through green jobs 

employment in transportation, utilities, construction, and manufacturing.Health Information 

Technology (Health IT) is a growing industry. Estimates based on the data from the U.S. Bureau of 

Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate a shortfall of qualified Health IT professionals required to meet the 

needs of hospitals and physicians as they move to adopting electronic health care records over the next 

eight years (BLS Employment Projections: 2010-2020 Summary, Table 3). In response to the shortfall, 

ETA has focused on increasing skill sets for potential employees in the healthcare information 

technology industries, and on aligning RA programs with employer needs. 

The Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program (PHIFP) is a new public health apprenticeship 

sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DOL. Health IT is a rapidly 

growing field that is critical to both public health and health care. In an era of increasing public health 

responsibilities, increasing use of information systems, and shrinking budgets, few states have the 

workforce capacity to address these challenges. PHIFP is a two-year, competency-based training 

program that offers a problem-based learning environment in which fellows apply information and 

computer sciences and information technology to solve public health problems.

Discretionary Grants

To advance the RA framework, DOL and other federal agencies and programs have provided 

discretionary funding. According to ETA’s Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA) Program Year 

(PY) 2011 Grant Overview, ETA has awarded approximately $6.5 million in grants in support of RA 

programs.The following activities are supported by the grants: 

Developing new or modifying existing standards for apprenticeship programs (including 

national guideline standards); 

Developing curricula to support these standards; 

Using technology-based learning strategies; 

Developing skill assessment tools for competency-based models; 

Training and education on the new regulatory requirements; and 

Outreach and training efforts to educate members, affiliates, staff and partners on the new 

model. 

As shown in Table 4, various organizations received grants including national industry and employer 

associations, labor-management organizations, and other organizations that demonstrated the capacity 

to advance through the development of new or modified apprenticeship standards. Project 

implementation has occurred on a national level and included local community-based organizations, 

American Job Centers, and other entities.
16

Table 4. ETA Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA) Program Year 2011 Grant Recipients

Organization Amount

American Culinary Federation Education Foundation

St. Augustine, FL

$481,200

Finishing Trades Institute

Hanover, MD

$622,757

Home Builders Institute

Washington, D.C.

$623,297

International Masonry Institute

Bowie, MD

$622,757

National Institute for Metalworking Skills

Fairfax, VA

$624,300

National Ironworkers and Employers Apprenticeship Training and 

Journeyman Upgrading Fund 

Washington, D.C.

$536,499

National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee 

Upper Marlboro, MD

$614,943

New Horizons Computer Learning Center, Inc. Carmel, IN $580,685

Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association 

Beltsville, MD

$622,562

Trimmer Education Foundation 

Arlington, VA

$624,300

United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and 

Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada 

Anne Arundel, MD

$624,300

Source: Advancing Registered Apprenticeship SGA PY 08-11 Grant Overview. August 2009

Although discretionary grants generate many activities that have the potential to influence the 

outcomes of people with disabilities, the SGA does not require reporting on the impact or outcomes of 

their project on people with disabilities (e.g., creating curricula based on universal design principles 

designed with accessibility features and outreach efforts directed towards disability-serving agencies). 

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grants

The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act was created in 1992 to 

close the income gap between women and men by recruiting, training, and developing women for 

high-wage nontraditional careers. A non-traditional career typically involves an employment sector 

with 25 percent or less held by one gender, such as advanced manufacturing, construction, energy, and 

transportation. DOL’s Women’s Bureau (WB) and OA jointly administer and support innovative 

projects funded by the WANTO Act to improve the recruitment, hiring, training, employment and 

retention of women in apprenticeships in nontraditional industries. Within these industries, the grants 

fund activities focused on three occupational areas: existing occupations expected to experience an

increase in employment demand; existing occupations with significant changes to work and worker 

requirements; and new and emerging green occupations. 
17

In 2012, six community-based organizations received grant awards (see Table 5). A grant stipulation 

was to form a consortium with a local workforce investment area and at least one RA program sponsor. 

This consortium-based approach was intended to ensure that women served by WANTO grants have 

access to a range of supportive services and training, as well as to specific nontraditional employment 

opportunities.Each grantee was required to place at least 50 participants annually and at least 100 

participants over the life of the two-year grant. 

Table 5.Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grants

Grantee Location Amount

Action for Boston Community Development 

Inc.

Boston, MA $300,000

Chicago Women in the Trades Chicago, IL $300,000

Goodwill of North Georgia Atlanta, GA $300,000

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. Portland, OR $300,000

West Virginia Women Work Morgantown, WV $300,000

Women in Non Traditional Employment 

Roles Los Angeles, CA $300,000

Source: ETA News Release, 06/26/2012

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Technical Assistance Grants – SGA-DFAPY-13-08

On April 2, 2014, DOL’s ETA and WB announced the availability of $1.8 million in Federal grant funds 

authorized by the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act of 1992, Pub. 

L. 102-530, 29 U.S.C. 2501 et seq. DOL plans to disburse Program Year (PY) 2013 and PY 14 WANTO 

grant funds to up to four (4) community-based organization grantees within the range of $400,000 to 

$650,000 for a 2-year grant period to develop and operate innovative technical assistance projects to 

improve outreach, recruitment, hiring, training, employment, and retention of women, women of color and 

women with disabilities in apprenticeships and nontraditional occupations.

Expanding Apprenticeships for Good Middle Class Jobs

On April 16, 2014, the President and Vice President announced new Federal investments using existing 

funds to support job-driven training, like apprenticeships, that will expand partnerships with industry, 

businesses, unions, community colleges, and training organizations to train workers in the skills they need. 

Employers, unions, and foundations are joining these efforts with new commitments to support job-driven 

training. DOL is making $100 million in existing H-1B funds available for American Apprenticeship 

Grants to reward partnerships that help more workers participate in apprenticeships. This competition 

will help more Americans access this proven path to employment and the middle class: 87 percent of 

apprentices are employed after completing their programs and the average starting wage for 

apprenticeship graduates is over $50,000. For more details, take a look at the American Apprenticeship 

Initiative website: http://www.doleta.gov/oa/aag.cfm.
18

BROAD CHALLENGES FOR REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS

Several challenges face RA programs involving the workforce system, employers and jobseekers. This 

section focuses on challenges RA programs face generally. The next section discusses challenges that 

are specific to people with disabilities participating in RA programs. 

Employer Costs Associated with Apprenticeship Programs

Engaging employers and industry sectors to offer apprenticeships can be a challenge because 

developing an apprenticeship program is costly (Altstadt 2011). Historically, the public sector’s 

contributions have been low compared to contributions of employers and apprentices with investment 

of at least $1 billion per year (Alstadt, 2011; GAO, 2001).In order to expand programs, creative 

solutions must be found to defray these costs. 

Limited Connection to Education and Workforce Systems

The relationship between community colleges and apprenticeship programs varies by state, trade, and 

local area. Historically, apprenticeship sponsors have worked with community colleges to award 

college credit to apprentices for education and job-related skills.Alstadt (2011) suggests that a closer 

collaboration betweenpostsecondary institutions and the workforce development system could increase 

employer outreach and reduce training costs. Growing the partnership could expose students to new 

fields while building a career pathway that includes a college degree. 

Lack of Integration with Workforce Development

Two recent DOL policy documents have focused on greater integration of RA into the workforce 

development system. To encourage workforce system leaders to build partnerships and leverage 

resources in order to increase jobseekers’ access to career pathways utilizing RA programs, ETA 

prepared Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 44-11 entitled Encouraging Enhanced Partnerships 

and Collaboration between the Workforce Investment System and Registered Apprenticeship 

Programsin 2012. The document provided policy guidance, information, and examples designed to 

support the full integration of RA into state and local workforce system activities.

OA’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship commissioned a white paper to explore barriers to RA 

sponsors’ access to states’ Eligible Training Provider Lists (ETPLs), obtaining financial support for 

pre-apprenticeship training and/or related instruction utilizing Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) 

funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The report, Partnering for Success: 

Recommendations to Facilitate Greater Collaboration between the Registered Apprenticeship and 

Public Workforce Systems, was released in May 2011.

In recent years, a push has been made for the workforce investment system to leverage and work with 

OA. Progress has been made, including the release of ETA’s TEN, but barriers still exist. At the local 

level, Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) and American Job Career Center staff may be unfamiliar 

with RA as an option for their participants. Under WIOA, however, RA is now a mandated State Board 

partner. 

Qualifying as a training provider on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) and obtaining 

Individual Training Account (ITA) funding for apprenticeship program participants have also been

major challenges for RA sponsors in the past. Rules around how the local WIB and workforce 

development entities operated varied from state to state and from WIB to WIB within a given state. 
19

The process for becoming an ETPL was time consuming which often served as a deterrent, although 

according to TEN 44-11, the Workforce Investment Act statue and regulations provided flexibility to 

allow their inclusion. Under WIOA, however, one of these problems has been eliminated; RA 

programs are included on the eligible training provider list for Adult and Dislocated Worker programs 

as long as they remain registered.

Low Female Enrollment

Female apprentices currently account for less than six percent of participants in Registered 

Apprenticeship programs in the 25 Office of Apprenticeship states managed by Federal staff (FY 2013 

RAPIDS data). At the time that this report was being prepared, WANTO, as previously mentioned, 

included women, but there was no equivalent program for the training and retention of people with 

disabilities. Table 6 shows number of active apprentices in Fiscal Year 2011.

Table 6. Active Apprentices Demographics, Fiscal Year13

Ethnicity

Gender Race Hispanic

NonHispanic UnknownGrand 

Total

Female Asian 19 187 70 276

Black 43 1,551 840 2,434

Hawaiian-Pacific 

Islander 28 180 30 238

Native 77 172 50 299

Unknown 441 90 483 1,014

White 384 4,606 1,456 6,446

Female Total 992 6,786 2,929 10,707

Male Asian 125 2,480 744 3,349

Black 318 12,337 5,176 17,831

HawaiianPacificIslander 545 2,284 579 3,408

Native 3,908 1,603 553 6,064

Unknown 19,255 2,131 9,692 31,078

White 7,697 83,371 24,948 116,016

Male Total 31,848 104,206 41,692 177,746

Unknown Unknown 2 2

White 1 1

Unknown 

Total 1 2 3

Grand Total 32,840 110,993 44,623 188,456

Source: Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS) database, Fiscal Year 

2013, extract as of June 2014.
20

Workplace and Academic Competency

A skills gap exists between employee readiness and employer requirements. Many job seekers in the 

United States demonstrate low literacy or educational levels (Karoly and Panis, 2004). In some areas, 

employers have to rely on workforce development programs to teach basic skills such as reading and 

mathematics. In addition, technology built for today’s workforce may be obsolete in the near future 

due to the rapid pace of innovation. Given the constantly changing workforce trends and demands, 

more pre-apprenticeship opportunities are needed to help ensure that people interested in becoming 

apprentices, including people with disabilities, have the requisite skills and transferable competencies 

needed to enter apprenticeship programs and to succeed. A multitude of studies have been conducted 

on the skills shortage crisis in the current workforce system (Bjelland, Bruyere, von Schrader, 

Houtenville, Ruiz-Quintanilla, and Webber, 2010). Weakness in high school performance and job 

training programs led in the decline of generating a highly skilled workforce. In order to be 

competitive in a global economy, the United States will have to address the growing mismatch 

between the needs of the marketplace and skills of the workforce pipeline. 

Low Completion Rates

When an employer sponsors a RA program, they are looking to receive a qualified group of skilled 

apprentices at the end of the training. Within the construction trade, 6 out of 10 registered apprentices 

fail to complete the program (Glover and Bilginsoy, 2005). Reasons for failing to complete the 

program include unreliable transportation, unstable housing, and balancing work/life demands. In some

cases, an apprentice acquires certain skills and is hired by another employer (Lerman, Eyster and 

Chambers, 2009). Collaborating with other entities to assure that apprentices have a strong support 

network in place is therefore a key strategy to their successful completion and their ability to meet the 

sponsor’s needs. 

CHALLENGES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

This section discusses the challenges for people with disabilities to participate in apprenticeship 

programs. Even though some of these barriers may be seen as problematic to other groups, the barriers 

are particularly challenging for people with disabilities. To facilitate the effective use of 

apprenticeships that include people with disabilities, the following barriers should be addressed. 

Self-Disclosure

Knowing whether a person has a disability is usually contingent on their self-disclosing. People with 

disabilities often hesitate to disclose because of negative reactions they may encounter. An 

apprenticemay choose not to disclose in a workplace setting because of a fear of discrimination, or 

perhaps because their disability is undiagnosed.Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits 

discrimination in recruitment, hiring, training, and other privileges of employment (P.L. 101-336). 

However, the responsibility to disclose and seek accommodations rests solely on the individual. 

High School Diploma or High School Equivalency (HSE)

Most apprenticeships require a minimum of a high school diploma or HSE. The data shows that overall 

youth with disabilities graduate from high school at lower rates than youth without disabilities. 

Moreover, some youth with disabilities graduate high school without earning the standard diploma

(Hartwig and Sitlington, 2008).Employers do not recognize alternative completions, which could 

become a major barrier for people with disabilities (GAO Report, 2012). Students with disabilities who 
21

are no longer in high school, but wish to acquire more preparedness for postsecondary education or 

employment services, may experience a delay because adult programs cannot accommodate additional 

clients (e.g., higher education, vocational rehabilitation, workforce agencies, etc.)(GAO Report, 2012).

Transportation

For many people with disabilities, transportation is a major barrier. Since RA is a combination of 

hands-on-training and classroom instruction, people with disabilities may find it difficult to participate 

because of the need to have access to daily reliable transportationto various locations. Transportation 

to work is an issue not only for people with disabilities, but also for many members of historically 

underrepresented and economically challenged populations. 

Lack of Pay DuringTraining

People with disabilities as well as other disadvantaged population groupsoften have lower household 

incomes than the general population.In some RA programs, apprentices do not earn a wage or stipend 

until completing their related technical training program, especially in the social services and 

correctional officer areas. In a recent study (Mathematica, 2012),women participating in acorrectional 

officer apprenticeship program did not receive wages during the related technical training portion of 

their program. They only received wages when they entered their probationary work period after 

completing training. That is not the case for other apprenticeships, such as construction apprenticeships 

where paid OJT and training are done simultaneously. Another consideration is that the high cost for 

education in post-secondary institutions, which may be part of the RA program, may restrict 

opportunities for participation in disadvantaged groups including minorities and people with 

disabilities (Carnevale, Smith &Strohl 2010).

Community Based Organizations’Lack of Awareness

DOL funds several community based-organizations (CBOs) that are working to produce career paths 

for job seekers. Depending on whether they serve youth or adults, their career planning strategies may 

involve paid/unpaid internships, job shadowing, or part-time work. These work experiences have 

value, but they may not translate into a career path. If CBO programs, including those focused on 

providing training to people with disabilities, were aligned to registered apprenticeship occupations,it 

could create more opportunities for peopleto acquire relevant skills for an occupation that is in demand 

and the potential to raise their income.Although CBOs may not have the knowledge or resources 

needed to build a program based on an RA occupation alone, they have an important role to play in 

partnering with other organizations including businesses.

Workplace and Academic Competency

In the building and construction trades, applied mathematics is an integral component. Mathematics, which 

is a needed skill in many career fields,may be a problematic area for some people with disabilities (Moon, 

Todd, Morton, and Ivey, 2012).In addition, the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)12 data 

 

12The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), commissioned by the U.S. Department of 

Education, is 10-year-long study of the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of a nationally 

representative sample of youth with disabilities. It includes 11,270 youth nationwide who were ages 13 

through 16 at the start of the study (2000). Information was collected over 10 years from parents, youth, and 
22

indicate that of 392,200 students with disabilities, ages 14 - 21, in the United States, outlying areas, and 

freely associated states who left school during the 2011 - 2012 school year, only 63.9 percent exited high 

school with a regular high school diploma, and 20.5 percent, dropped out of school. The remaining 15.6 

percent students with disabilities, ages 14 - 21, which left school during the 2011 - 12 school year, were 

reported as having received a certificate, reached maximum age, or died (U.S. Department of Education, 

2012).13Because having a high school diploma or high school equivalency (HSE) is a requirement for most 

apprenticeship programs, some people with disabilities may require pre-apprenticeship training, and/or 

remedial education before they will be able to participate in an apprenticeship program. 

Lack of Accessibility of Career Readiness Assessments and Other Standardized Tests

As discussed previously, one of the major concerns in the workforce community is the gap between 

applicants' skills and employers’ needs. This concern also relates to employers’ apprehensions about

hiring people with disabilities; they fear that the applicant may not be suitable due to limited work 

experience or skills. Several organizations in workforce development are using the National Career 

Readiness CertificateTM (NCRC) that was established as an industry-recognized, portable credential 

that certifies skillsrequired to succeed in today’s workplace. Features include:

Critical reasoning

Problem solving

Utilizing mathematical reasoning to solve work-related problems

Summarizing and analyzing information presented in graphics

Reading and using work-related text

Although NCRC is becoming increasingly accepted as the standard for basic workplace skills in 

several states, concerns have been raised about this test’s accessibility. Given the increased use of this 

and other similar standardized testing to access career readiness, it is imperative that these tests be 

accessible to people to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind. 

Employers’ Attitudes Toward Hiring People with Disabilities

Poor employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities can stem, in part, from 

employers’ negative attitudes toward hiring people with disabilities. Recent literature points to the 

persistence of stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and stigma in organizations and their negative 

effects on individuals and employers (Lengnick-Hall, 2009).Sometimes employers erroneously fear 

that most people with disabilities: lack necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics; 

have lower job performance and productivity; and incur higher costs than employees without 

disabilities.

INTERVIEW FINDINGS

The study team conducted interviews with representatives from community-based organizations, state 

apprenticeship agency contacts, public school transition coordinators, disability serving non-profit 

organizations, American Job Centers, unions, and vocational rehabilitation offices.The respondents 

were identified through their prominence in the field, based on informal online research and 

 

schools and it provided a national picture of the experiences and achievements of young people as they 

transition into early adulthood.

13 According to, 20 U.S.C. § 1418(a) States report data in what is known as the “618 data collection”, using 

the EDFacts data system. One data element is IDEA Part B Exiting.
23

discussions with experts. The following information was derived from these conversations regarding 

possible strategies to improve the pipeline both into RA generally and into RA for people with 

disabilities.

A Business Casefor Hiring People with Disabilities for Apprenticeship Sponsors

State Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs) suggested brainstorming sessions on building the business case 

for hiring people with disabilities with agencies that provide services or advocate for people with 

disabilities. For example, ODEP could facilitate meetingsanddevelop talking points that the SAAs 

could use when they are speaking to prospective employer sponsors. 

Federal and State Collaboration

Two retired state workers from New Mexico’s Transition into Registered Apprenticeship Careers and 

Employment (TRACE) Program attributed their program’ssuccess to establishing relationships with 

the Federal and state apprenticeship offices. They described state agencies as usually working in silos. 

Through working with the SAA, they were able to recruit consultants with experience in developing 

apprenticeship programs.

Flexibility in Updating Occupational Codes

ETA’s Occupational Information Network (O*NET) contains occupational definitions to match 

jobseekers with jobs. The database is used by businesses, educators, jobseekers, human resources 

professionals, and the Workforce Investment System.The Canadian and European manufacturers that 

are building facilities in U.S. are familiar with the apprenticeship model and are requesting their own 

occupational titles.

Flexibility in Updating Competency Models

ETA works with business leaders and educators to create competency models that reflect the technical 

skills and competencies for industries. The models serve as a resource to curriculum development, tests 

and certifications. Manufacturing jobs have changed with the introduction of technology. The length of 

training time has been reduced and work processes are more efficient. 

Pre-Apprenticeship Programs Linked to Registered Apprenticeship Programs

Several respondents did not understand why programs were called pre-apprenticeship, if they were not 

feeding into registered apprentice occupations. At the time, SAA representatives were looking forward 

to ETA providing technical assistance and policy guidance on pre-apprenticeships, which subsequently 

occurred on November 30, 2012. See Training and Employment Notice 13-12;Defining a Quality PreApprenticeship Program and Related Tools and Resources.

14

 

14 In this TEN, pre-apprenticeship was defined as a program or set of strategies designed to prepare 

individuals to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship program that has a documented partnership 

with at least one, if not more, Registered Apprenticeship program(s). 

Moreover, the TEN also describes elements of a quality pre-apprenticeship program.
24

Appealing to Apprentices with Undiagnosed Learning Disabilities

As stated earlier, RAPIDS does not collect data on disability status, so the proportion of apprentices 

with disabilities is not known. SAA representatives and training instructors believe a substantial 

portion of RA entrants may have undiagnosed learning disabilities. They believe people with learning 

disabilities are entering RA programs because they are attracted to the instructional model-hands on 

training and repetitive tasks.

STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Registered Apprenticeship is an effective “earn and learn” model with a long history of providing 

career ladders and pathways to the middle class, particularly for the building and construction industry,

but increasingly in other industries as well. In Fiscal Year 2011, the average starting wage for an 

apprentice was $16.01/hour ($33,301/year), with wages upon completion of a three to four year 

apprenticeship at $26.36/hour ($54,829/year). These results demonstrate the advantages apprenticeship 

offers in providing both a significant wage gain and clear career path for entry-level workers. 

Current unemployment rates suggest that education and training systems inadequately serve people 

with disabilities, low-income adults, and out-of-school youth. In addition, these systems are not 

generating enough skilled workers to fill available jobs. In order to improve the pipeline for people 

with disabilities in RA programs, states need to expand opportunities as well as strengthen entry and 

completion for low-skilled and disadvantaged workers (Alstadt, 2011).

Despite DOL’s initiatives promoting apprenticeship, a majority of disability-serving organizations that 

work with people with disabilities may not be aware of the potential that exists for creating preapprenticeship or RA programs. The paucity of apprenticeship programs for people with disabilities 

suggests that disability service providers need to be made aware of RA and of the important role they 

can play in partnering with RA sponsors to support making RA opportunities available to more people 

with disabilities. 

Promoting more apprenticeship training through apprenticeship‐community college collaboration can 

help to reduce costs for RA sponsors and disadvantaged students, including youth with disabilities, 

while also offering apprenticesthe benefit of earning college credits from community colleges.

Other actions that could be taken to increase the pipeline for people with disabilities include the 

following:

Actions for the Office of Disability Employment Policy to Consider

1. Convene a roundtable of employers who hire people with disabilities and introduce the concept of 

developing apprentice able occupations. Companies that are leading the way in hiring people with 

disabilities should be publicized in mainstream media so that more employers can learn from their

experiences. 

2. Showcase an apprenticeship model among disability-friendly businesses. ODEPcan promote the 

apprenticeship model todisability-friendly employers.Corporations might be interested in developing a 

RA program.

3. Collaborate with RSA to promote apprenticeship for people with disabilities. Agencies that provide 

employment services to people with disabilities need to know the benefits of adopting the RA model. 
25

ODEP could partner with RSA, OSEP, and other offices under U.S. Department of Educationto promote

this career strategy to VR counselors, service providers and special education coordinators, and 

transition specialists.

4. Launch a pre-apprenticeship career path awareness campaign.ODEP and OAcould orchestrate an 

awareness campaign, “Pre-apprenticeship should always lead to Registered Apprenticeship.”The 

campaign could highlight the benefits and the importance of developing a program that is directly tied to 

the RA and its link to a career path.

5. Feature RA on ODEP’s website. Consideration could be given to including an employer focus area 

that includes a checklist on how to create an apprenticeship program that recruits people with 

disabilities, hiring practices, sample diversity statements, descriptions of tax incentives, resources for 

finding workers, and samples of best practices. 

Other StrategiesAgencies That Could Be Used to Promote Registered Apprenticeships at the 

Federal Level

1. Issue Policy Guidance to promote alignment of RA with workforce development.Additional policy 

guidance could be issued by DOL to encourage better collaboration between the workforce system and 

state and federal apprenticeship offices.

2. Establish RA programs in growth industries.The Department of Health and Human Services, the 

Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and DOL could consider establishinga 

competitive grant initiative to develop and expand apprenticeship programs in emerging growth 

industries such as health and technology for people with disabilities. This would expand apprenticeship 

beyond typical construction programs and manufacturing fields. 

3. Recruit people with disabilities for RA. ODEP, OA, and ED should consider developing a joint 

strategy for recruiting more youth and adults with disabilities into RA.

4. Incorporate apprenticeships into transition planning. The Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) is the federal act designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities by ensuring that 

everyone receives an appropriate public education. IDEA requires that transition planning begins at age 

16. Transition planning is a component of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which is mandated by 

IDEA. In transition planning, the IEP team, comprised of the student, educators, specialists, and parents, 

considers areas such as postsecondary education or vocational training, employment, independent living, 

and community participation. ED and DOL should work together collaboratively to ensure that 

information is provided regarding RA presented as a possible option during transition planning.
26

APPENDIX A. REFERENCES

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub.L. No. 101-336, 104 Stat. 328 (1990).

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