Apprenticeships Help Close the Skills Gap.

So
Why Are They in Decline?
It is the perfect and simple plan: provide qualified employees to employers.
Indeed, apprenticeships allow workers to acquire the very skills they need. But why are
apprenticeships on the wane?
Here is the story:

When you ask CEs and corporate manpower staff whether they !et the ri!ht kind of
workers they need, they will complain a"out a !ap in employee a"ilities that put
productivity and !rowth at risk # not only inside their or!ani$ations "ut also in the
!reater economy.
%owever, employers and state lawmakers have "een distinctly half&hearted a"out
a tested solution to the pressin! issue: apprenticeships.
'pprenticeships can provide a perfect marria!e of the skills employers look for and the
trainin! workers derive, states (o"ert )erman, an 'merican *niversity economics
professor.
+It is a !reat model for passin! on skills from one !eneration to the ne,t,+ declares -ohn
)add, director of the .epartment of )a"or/s ffice of 'pprenticeship.
0onetheless, as the )a"or .epartment announces, formal pro!rams that unite on&the&1o"
trainin! with mentorships and classroom education went down 234 in the *.5. from
6337 to 6387.
Which leads us to ask the question: If the solution to this crucial pro"lem lies in
apprenticeships, how come so much resistance e,ists?
Blue-Collar Image
It seems the "i!!est constraint is that two&thirds of apprenticeship pro!rams in the *.5.
apply in the construction industry, pro1ectin! a "lue&collar ima!e that dampens
enthusiasm amon! youn! people and the companies which could provide 1o"s for them.
Construction unions, which have wide influence amon! many of the state a!encies
concernin! apprenticeships, have not done enou!h to reach out to other industries, 9r.
)erman says.
)ikewise, entrepreneurs and mana!ers oftentimes avoid apprenticeships "ecause of
their connection with unions. +:here/s an underlyin! fear amon! employers+ that unions
want to interfere "y or!ani$in! workers, or that any apprenticeship plan mi!ht "e
controlled "y a union, says -. (onald .e -uliis, la"or and industry head at 9aryland/s
.epartment of )a"or.
%owever, .e -uliis and others admit, thin!s can "e entirely different. 't present,
apprenticeships involve many more industries than the few trades that welcomed the
earn&and&learn paradi!m startin! in 8;7< when the 0ational 'pprenticeship 'ct was
implemented. 0ursin! aides, wastewater technicians and computer&system mana!ers
are a few of the 1o"s for which apprentices can find trainin! in.
't the "e!innin! of this month, =resident "ama allocated >833 million for
apprenticeship pro!rams in hi!h&!rowth industries, and acknowled!ed new pro!rams in
information technolo!y, health care and supply&chain mana!ement.
5till, another constraint is a commonly held idea that youn! people should remain in
school and then find a 1o". 5upporters of apprenticeship pro!rams "elieve this view is ill&
advised.
Colle!e de!rees and internships do not !enerate the same quality of worker as
thorou!h, hands&on apprenticeships, states director Brad 0eese of 'pprenticeship
Carolina, a pro!ram of the 5outh Carolina :echnical Colle!e 5ystem. Companies are
seein! +a !enuine lack of applica"ility when it concerns skill level+ from colle!e
!raduates, 9r. 0eese says. +Interns do !runt work, !enerally.+ %owever, he says, +an
apprenticeship is a real 1o".+
9oreover, some companies are an,ious that employees will leave for "etter&payin! 1o"s
ri!ht after they have acquired their necessary skills. ?or them, an apprenticeship is like
trainin! workers for other companies to ultimately "enefit from.
In many cases, however, employers discover that apprenticeships actually encoura!e
retention, as workers who !o throu!h apprenticeship pro!rams reali$e the investment
their employers put into their professional !rowth and repay the !ood turn with a !reater
sense of loyalty.
+:he apprenticeship paradi!m allows us to convince people there is a career path within
this company,+ says (o""y %ill, owner of %ill5outh, a ?lorence, 5.C., technolo!y
consultin! company makin! !ood use of 5outh Carolina/s on&the&1o" trainin! pro!ram.
0ew employees envision doors openin! for them in the future, alon! with a distinctly
pro!rammed ladder of skills trainin! and salary improvements, says 9r. %ill, whose 66&
person company provides apprenticeships for I: and administrative&support workers.
:he company also requests employees to enter into a non&compete a!reement as they
!et certified for new skills.
Innovative Thinking
'dvocates of apprenticeships claim that 1oinin! on&the&1o" trainin! with related education
and "enchmarks can "e undertaken in any 1o". :hey cite pro!rams in states such as
5outh Carolina and Wisconsin as !ettin! positive output.
:here are now apprenticeships for computer professionals and re!istered nursin!
aides in 5outh Carolina, where the num"er of "usinesses providin! apprenticeships has
increased to @2< from only ;3 in 633<. '"out 2,<33 workers who underwent 5outh
Carolina/s apprentice pro!ram are now employed full&time.
:o !et employers en!a!ed in apprenticeships, the state provides a >8,333 yearly ta,
credit for every apprentice included in the payroll. +:hat opens the door somehow,+
states 9r. 0eese. +?or a small "usiness, the credit can erase the education e,penses for
an apprentice pro!ram.A
+We have endeavored to make the ta, credit as user&friendly as we can,+ he adds. +We
have a very short one&pa!e form that simply asks, /%ow many apprentices are in your
firm?/ and then you multiple the num"er "y >8,333.+
Wisconsin, which has presently almost B,333 apprentices, is workin! to au!ment trainin!
positions for such tasks as truck drivin! as well as hi!h&tech manufacturin!.
+We are anticipatin! employee deficits in health care and advanced manufacturin!,+
claims director Caren 9or!an of Wisconsin/s Bureau of 'pprenticeship 5tandards. :he
Dovernor/s Council on Workforce Investment is considerin! some steps to solve the
pro"lem, she says. :he state is launchin! some pro!rams to apply ro"otics and hi!h&
level weldin! to its normal apprenticeship trainin!.
+We are makin! our pro!rams more adapta"le,+ 9s. 9or!an says, to hi!hli!ht to
manufacturers the importance that apprenticeships can provide for a sector e,periencin!
fast moderni$ation.