This study was conducted by staff from Abt Associates, which co-administers CLEAR. The review of this study was conducted by ICF, which co-administers CLEAR and is trained in applying the CLEAR quantitative descriptive study guidelines.
Citation
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the relationship between participating in American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) Registered Apprenticeships and employment and earnings outcomes.
- The study used internal program data, an apprentice survey, and the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) to assess participation in and exit outcomes of registered apprenticeship programs.
- The study found that the AAI succeeded in registering a more diverse cohort of apprentices and engaging them in a greater variety of occupations. The apprentices had high rates of completion and post-program employment across demographic groups.
- The study does not report the statistical significance of differences between sub-groups and there is evidence that occupation sorting by demographic characteristics may explain some of the observed outcomes. Also, the apprentice survey had a small sample size and low response rate.
Intervention Examined
American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI)
Features of the Intervention
The American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) was a grant program initiated by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2015 and funded through the HB-1 visa fee program. AAI aimed to expand registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) to new sectors beyond the traditional construction trades. New program sponsors were recruited, and RAPs were expanded into communities traditionally underserved by apprenticeship programs through outreach and recruitment efforts. Additionally, AAI established pre-apprenticeship programs to enhance career readiness. Grants were provided to intermediaries to facilitate sponsor and apprentice recruitment, although individual employers or sponsors applied their own specific eligibility criteria for joining the RAPs. There were 46 AAI grantees across the United States that operated from 2016 to 2021. The programs developed by these grantees offered apprentices on-the-job training and related technical instruction.
Features of the Study
The descriptive study used three data sources. An internal quarterly report sent to the Department of Labor from the grantees provided information about apprentices. A survey was administered in two rounds to 2,601 apprentices and captured information about program experiences. The National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) provided data about post-participation employment and earnings for apprentices with a valid Social Security Number. The study included information on apprentices from 45 of the 46 AAI grantees, as one grantee stopped operating early in the program. The authors report descriptive statistics including frequencies, averages, and percentages. About one-third of apprentices responded to the survey, so the authors used weights to create a sample that matched the overall AAI participant group.
Findings
- The study found that, relative to all registered apprenticeships in the U.S., AAI apprenticeships had greater representation of women (25% vs. 9%), Black apprentices (17% vs. 11%), and Veterans (13% vs. 12%). The AAI sample was slightly older (average age of 33 vs. 29) and most AAI apprentices (88.5%) were employed full-time when they started the program.
- Manufacturing was the most common apprentice occupation. Manufacturing apprenticeships were most common among men, White workers, and incumbent workers while healthcare apprenticeships were more common among women.
- Over half of apprentices earned no college credit through their related technical instruction. However, 16% of apprentices earned 30 college credits or more in their program.
- Apprentices spent an average of 21 hours per week on-the-job with a mentor and reported high levels of satisfaction with their mentor relationship.
- According to the survey (administered about 2.7 years after program enrollment), 80.2% of apprentices had either completed their program or were still enrolled. Of those still enrolled, 76.2% of apprentices reported that they would complete their program on time. Personal or family problems were the most common reason for exiting the program before completion, particularly among women and Hispanic apprentices.
- The study found that 85.5% of apprentices were employed at program exit, often with the same employer that administered their program.
- The average earnings increase for AAI apprentices was 49% but the percent change was greatest among women and lowest among Black apprentices. Computer/information technology apprentices of any race or gender had the greatest earnings increase (174%) and the highest annual post-program earnings ($61,835).
- AAI pre-apprentices were more diverse than AAI registered apprentices. They were also more likely to enter construction pre-apprenticeships than AAI registered apprenticeships.
- Most pre-apprentices received supportive services (88%) and general work readiness training (79%).
- The completion rate for AAI pre-apprenticeships was 81%. Among those who completed, 63% participated in a RAP. Those who finished pre-apprenticeships had higher exit wages and employment rates, regardless of whether they entered a RAP.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors do not report statistical significance regarding differences between subgroups. This is important because the authors note that categorizing by occupation helps clarify some of the results. For instance, a larger number of women pursued healthcare apprenticeships, and their exit earnings were lower partly because healthcare jobs tend to pay less than other apprenticeship fields with fewer women. Additionally, the survey sample size is much smaller than the overall AAI apprentice group, which restricts how well the findings can be applied to the entire cohort and to all registered apprentices in the United States.