How to bring more employers into the apprenticeship system?

NPR recently wrote an article highlighting the growing popularity of apprenticeships as well as the hitch in their growth as an option for post secondary training. Apprenticeships are incredibly popular, but their demand outstrips supply.

NPR highlights what's great about apprenticeships and why they're growing. Apprenticeships benefit from growing public skepticism about the need for college. They combine paid on-the-job training with classroom learning, which helps students connect the classroom to their careers. They're being pushed by politicians and policymakers of all stripes. The list goes on.

The one hitch? Employers aren't exactly beating down the door for apprenticeships.

Let's talk about why. Why aren't employers demanding more apprenticeships?

Funding

The first and most obvious reason is funding. Most U.S. employers have zero experience with apprenticeships. They've never had to fund them. There's not necessarily budget lying around waiting to be applied to apprenticeships so it has to come from somewhere else.

That budget can, and should, come from both internal and external sources. Internally, organizations needs to look long and hard at what they spend in absence of an apprenticeship. Could some of the recruiting budget be better spent creating your workforce rather than searching for it, for example?

Externally, funding for apprenticeships is a minefield of complication. It is the norm for apprenticeships to use braided funding, or funding from multiple sources, to support a program. This might be a state grant. This could be a federal grant. This could be a tax break. This grant might be good for only 2 years. Another is good for 4 years.

Each grant might have their own reporting requirements. Each one may need to be spent on certain things and not others. This grant can fund training but not wage. That grant can fund protective equipment and wraparound services. It's complicated.

If the United States is serious about growing the apprenticeship space, this has to be a lot simpler. Tie apprenticeship funding to something like salary so its proportionate. Make its usage flexible. Make it permanent so employers can rely and plan around it. Tie it to taxes. Standardize federal and state reporting. None of this is easy, but any of the above would increase employer confidence around investing in apprenticeships.

Streamlining

The article highlights another obvious issue. Apprenticeships are not simple to register nor implement. The apprenticeship system should be ruthlessly simplifying the experience for it customers, err, sponsors.

We've heard from more than a few new sponsors that they thought there'd be more of a system than there is. There's guidelines on apprenticeship. There's roughly a template, but there's too much to figure out in between the margins.

Registering an apprenticeship should not require an apprenticeship training representative (ATR) to handhold the employer. If we can file our taxes on TurboTax, surely we can register a work process schedule, set up an EEO plan, implement a wage schedule, and the like. Going from 40 pages to 10 pages and a meeting is not enough. The simplicity goals for the apprenticeship system need to be higher.

And that's just registration! It should be easier to work with community colleges for your program. It should be easier to find eligible training partners in your industry and area. It should be easier to find partners. The list goes on.

Culture

This is less obvious, but many employers do not have apprenticeships because they do not have the culture of apprenticeship. The managers did not go through an apprenticeship so they're not well versed on how to be a great mentor.

This takes time. There's no real short cuts here.

Where do we often see apprenticeships today? It's either from familiarity or dire need.

They're with contractors because the managers went through an apprenticeship of their own and understand having apprentices. They're with manufacturers with European leadership who understand the value of apprenticeships from their German and Swiss locations. They're with employers who're struggling and need to solve a solution that recruiting hasn't. They're with employers who need to diversify a workforce beyond college students.

Regardless of the reason, every new apprenticeship moves the U.S. closer to a world where culture is less of the problem.

Challenge Them!

There is simply an awareness gap. Often, we hear that employers started an apprenticeship because they happened to chat with someone in the apprenticeship agency. They happened to attend a conference and hear about them.

It shouldn't be happenstance!

If apprenticeships are a priority, there should be a full court marketing effort to make employers aware of them.

If apprenticeships are a priority, employers should be challenged to provide them. We should not allow employers to use the phrase "skills gap" ever again. A "skills gap" where workers aren't ready for the jobs of today isn't students fault. It's not (solely) educator's fault, either. Employers need to take some of this blame and do something about it.

Any employer that complains of a skills gap should be challenged on what they're doing to address it. Are they on an industry board at their local community college? Are they part of associations to advocate for their needs? Do they have an apprenticeship? Or do they just want to complain?

Employers need to be challenged to offer apprenticeships. Americans respond to challenges. American employers, especially, can handle the same.

Closing

In closing, there's plenty for the apprenticeship system to fix, first -- from funding to streamlining -- but it's time for employers to be challenged as well. What are you doing to invest in training the workers of tomorrow? What are you doing to address the skills gap?

Where is your apprenticeship program?

Once that question is normalized, the culture problem will take care of itself.