Apprenticeship

Hear More About Apprenticeship TO GET AHEAD IN TODAY’S JOB MARKET, YOU NEED Interested in learning more about apprenticeship Works SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE. NOW, MORE AND MORE JOB as a career path? You may want to view “#ApprenticeshipWorks,” a video produced for You: SEEKERS AND WORKERS ARE DISCOVERING A PROVEN by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. This video features A GUIDE FOR STRATEGY FOR GAINING BOTH: APPRENTICESHIP. interviews with four diverse apprentices and INDIVIDUALS former apprentices in a range of fields, including EXPLORING information technology, health care information INCLUSIVE management, and shipbuilding. It is one in a two- CAREER PATHS part series; the other video focuses on the value of apprenticeships to employers through interviews Apprenticeship programs offer the opportunity to earn a salary with apprenticeship sponsors. To view either #ApprenticeshipWorks while learning the technical skills necessary to succeed in exciting, video, visit www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/ high-demand professions. Combining classroom instruction with Apprenticeshipworks-video-series.htm. on-the-job training, apprenticeships may also count toward college credit, in some cases even leading to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree paid for by your apprenticeship sponsor.

What’s more, apprenticeships now exist in not only traditional fields, such as construction, but also high-growth industries, such as health care, information technology, transportation, energy, and many others. Now more than ever, apprenticeships can open the door to long-term, rewarding careers for everyone, including people with disabilities and those with diverse backgrounds, varying skill levels, and educational experiences.  In short, Apprenticeship Works…

for individuals, for employers, for opportunity, for inclusion, #APPRENTICESHIPWORKS FOR YOU.

OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY DOL.GOV/ODEP/APPRENTICESHIP OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY DOL.GOV/ODEP/APPRENTICESHIP UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: What is an apprenticeship? Do apprenticeships offer a disability-inclusive career path? MEDPARTNERS a few weeks or months of instruction followed by continuous time An apprenticeship is a job that allows you to earn money while Yes! Apprenticeship is a tried and tested career pathway for in the workplace. Either way, apprenticeships are designed to gaining skills and experience through both technical instruction all people, including people with disabilities. Individuals with “The apprenticeship meet the needs of the occupation, including the number of hours and hands-on training. As an apprentice, you start working on disabilities can offer employers a competitive edge, helping definitely gave me the apprentices spend in the classroom and on the job each year. day one and receive pay increases as you learn new skills and take diversify and strengthen their workplaces through varied confidence that I didn’t have on more responsibilities. In fact, the average starting wage for an perspectives on how to confront challenges and get the job done. before. It gave me the tools What’s life like after an apprenticeship? apprentice is $15.00 per hour. When researching apprenticeships, Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Labor protects applicants and to understand what I am Completion of an apprenticeship program results in a portable, it’s important to look for whether a program meets established current participants in Registered Apprenticeship programs from doing. It gave me the tools industry-recognized credential that serves as the foundation for standards that make its credentials transferrable and recognizable discrimination on the basis of disability. to look at something in a a long-term career with a competitive salary and little, if any, to employers across the country. different way.” educational debt. In fact, the average salary for a fully skilled If you are a person with a disability and are qualified for the worker who completes an apprenticeship program is $60,000. - LaTasha Hall, Health Information Apprenticeship alumni often work for their employers for years to REGISTERED What occupations can I train for through apprenticeship? program, your apprenticeship sponsor must provide you with Management Professional, Apprenticeship offers access to thousands of career paths. Some a reasonable accommodation to allow equal employment MedPartners come, moving into management or, if entrepreneurial in spirit, starting APPRENTICESHIP of the top occupations for Registered Apprenticeship programs opportunity, unless to do so would cause undue burden. An businesses of their own later down the line. Many also become PROGRAM include carpenter, chef, construction craft laborer, dental assistant, applicant for an apprenticeship may also require a reasonable educators or trainers, helping build their industry’s future workforce. SPOTLIGHT: electrician, software engineer, mechatronics technician, elevator accommodation to assist in applying and interviewing for an MedPartners’ apprenticeship They are innovators and leaders, in not just their workplaces, but also program is designed to bridge NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING constructor, fire medic, law enforcement agent, over-the-road apprenticeship. Generally, the individual with a disability must the local communities in which they work and live. education and employment in truck driver, and pipefitter. But really, these examples just scrape inform the sponsor that an accommodation is needed. Also, REGISTERED health information management, “You can get paid to go to the surface of the opportunities available in a wide range of Registered Apprenticeship programs are taking proactive often referred to as medical How can I learn about apprenticeship opportunities near me? school and learn a craft or exciting industries, including those predicted to grow significantly steps to recruit people with disabilities. This is why you may be APPRENTICESHIP coding. The company developed Apprenticeship programs exist in communities across the U.S., the program in collaboration with in the coming years. many sponsored by some of the nation’s most well-known a skill. It’s something that asked to self-identify as a person with a disability, both during PROGRAM the American Health Information you’ve earned. It’s something the application and hiring process and once enrolled in an SPOTLIGHT: Management Association as a way companies. To learn more, visit the Apprenticeship Finder that will always be with you.” Who can become an apprentice? apprenticeship program. URBAN TECHNOLOGY PROJECT to build a pipeline of professionals (www.dol.gov/featured/apprenticeship/find-opportunities), People eligible for apprenticeship programs are as diverse as with the skills needed to keep pace which allows you to search for available opportunities by state and city. - Kristee Arceo, Marine Engineering with rapid changes in the field. On this page, you can also read about the experiences of apprentices Apprentice, Newport News the opportunities available. Because entry requirements vary by “If you are considering an Apprentices serve MedPartners’ Shipbuilding program, apprentices reflect a range of backgrounds and educational Apprentices and their employers who need help determining apprenticeship, I would client hospitals and other health and former apprentices working in a wide range of occupations. experiences. The eligible starting age for Registered Apprenticeship effective accommodations can use the Job Accommodation definitely go for it.” care facilities across the nation, and the computer-based nature of can be no less than 16; however, in certain occupations, you need to Network (JAN). A free service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s - Derek Schwartz, Information the work means they may have the be at least 18. Each apprenticeship program’s sponsor also develops Office of Disability Employment Policy, JAN is the leading Technology Apprentice, Central opportunity to work from home. You can also learn more about apprenticeship programs, as well its own minimum qualifications related to education and the ability source of free, expert, and confidential assistance on workplace High School, Philadelphia as other opportunities for training and employment, by contacting to perform essential job functions. In light of President Trump’s June accommodations. It offers one-on-one guidance over the phone at your nearest American Job Center (www.servicelocator.org). 2017 Executive Order calling for the expansion of apprenticeships If you are a person with a disability, your state’s Vocational (800) 526-7234 or (877) 781-9403 (TTY) or via email or live chat. The Computer Support Specialists and reduction of regulatory burdens on workforce development JAN’s website, AskJAN.org, also offers a wealth of information, Information Technology (IT) Rehabilitation agency (www.rsa.ed.gov/people.cfm) may also programs, the U.S. Department of Labor is currently in the process of including an A to Z guide of disabilities and accommodations. apprenticeship program run by the be able to help you explore the options available. partnering with industry groups, companies, nonprofit organizations, Urban Technology Project trains individuals for IT careers, allowing The Apprentice School at Newport unions, joint labor-management organizations, and many others News Shipbuilding in Newport them to gain technical skills and put News, Virginia, offers multi-year to help them design apprenticeship programs that fit their unique How long are apprenticeship programs? them to work in Philadelphia high Registered Apprenticeships in a industry needs. The time it takes to complete an apprenticeship varies depending schools. In addition to providing wide range of shipbuilding fields as much needed IT support for these on a number of factors, including the occupation and nature of well as advanced programs of study. schools, apprentices gain leadership These apprenticeships offer the Some apprentices start their journey in pre-apprenticeship program. They range from one to six years, with most being skills by organizing after-school opportunity to simultaneously learn programs. These programs prepare people to enter and somewhere in the middle. During this time, you participate in both computer clubs and participating in a trade, receive competitive pay, other community-building activities. and earn college credit. They also succeed in apprenticeships by enhancing their qualifications and on-the-job training and classroom-based instruction, which may Upon completion of the program, provide Newport News Shipbuilding a expertise. Like apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships involve both count toward college credit. Sometimes these two components continuous supply of employees with many alumni go on to work for the the skills and knowledge necessary to classroom instruction and the chance to apply new skills in the happen in tandem. For instance, you might spend three days a school district, while others pursue IT grow and succeed in the years ahead. real-world environment. week on the job and two days in the classroom, or you might have jobs at firms in and around the city.