Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning

Interest in the apprenticeship model of training and the practice of work-based learning is growing. An increasing number of unions, employers and workforce intermediary partnerships are open to the model. The U.S. Department of Labor and its Office of Apprenticeship is working to double the number of trainees involved in registered apprenticeship programs.

The U.S. Congress has appropriated funds to expand registered apprenticeship into multiple industries and increase the capacity of states to nurture the system. Apprenticeship took on a larger role in the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Apprenticeship legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Congress. And the presence of a registered apprenticeship system has been gaining momentum in the public consciousness: A WAI study revealed that over an eleven-year period, the number of times the term “apprenticeship” appeared in mass media increased from 5,000 times (2009) to more than 79,900 times (2020).

The AFL-CIO Working for America Institute is engaged in promoting high-quality apprenticeship, notably in advancing the Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) registered apprenticeship program and other programs in manufacturing. We work with a network of unions, employers, and locally based intermediary organizations to establish and expand apprenticeship programs across the country.