Washington State
Registered Apprenticeship
1941-2009
68 Years of Registered Apprenticeship
2009
State Report
to the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors
www.Apprenticeship.Lni.wa.gov
August 2009, Seattle, Washington
Registered Apprenticeship in Washington State
2009 Report to NASTAD
· Over 7,200 Employers Providing Paid On-The-Job Training and Assuring Skill Development for Registered Apprentices.
· 247 Standards of Apprenticeship with Specific Minimum Qualifications, Selection Procedures, Wage Progression and Skilled Credential Outcomes.
· Work-Based Education and Career development in Over 600 Occupations
· 18,643 Apprentices Actively Contributing to the Economy because they “Earn While They Learn” (See Benefits and Costs Chart Below)
Benefits and Costs of Apprenticeship TrainingFirst 2.5 Years After Program / Forecast to Age 65
Participant / Public / Participant / Public
Benefits
Earnings / $27,883 / $205,825
Employee Benefits / $5,577 / $41,166
Taxes / -$7,249 / $7,249 / -$53,515 / $53,515
Transfers* / $984 / -$984 / $4,052 / -$4,052
Costs
Foregone Earnings** / $23,997 / $23,997
Program Costs*** / -$652 / -$2546 / -$652 / -$2546
TOTAL / $50,540 / $3,719 / $220,874 / $46,916
Notes: Benefits and costs are expressed in 2005 Q1 dollars.
* Transfers include UI, TANF, food stamps, and medical benefits. TANF benefits reflect the value of cash grants, childcare, and other client support services.
** Instead of foregone earnings, apprentices had positive net earnings while participating.
*** Participant program costs refer to tuition only; it does not include costs such as books and supplies. Public program costs do not include student financial aid programs.
Source: WA State Workforce Board report “Workforce Training Results 2008”
Projected participant benefits to age 65 far outweigh public investment in apprenticeship training by a ratio of 106 to 1, or $270,336 to $2,546.[1] Apprenticeship benefits workers, businesses, and the economy throughout the state by combining classroom studies with on-the-job training under the supervision of a qualified journey level worker. Apprentices learn skills that can lead to lifetime careers while they earn a wage. The most common type of program administration is the Group Joint (GJ), typically funded and staffed jointly by representatives of employers and employees. Apprenticeship in our state is overseen by the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council and as the Workforce Board’s findings indicate, the results are significant.
Mission, Vision, Values
The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (herein after referred to as “the Council”) and the Department of Labor and Industries promote a highly skilled and diverse work force by developing and supporting apprenticeship training programs throughout the State. This work is carried out under the authority of Chapter 49.04 RCW, in partnership with business, labor, and education. Furthermore, the people of Washington State understand and value the role of registered apprenticeship in promoting a highly skilled and diverse workforce. The Council:
· Views the safety, health and education of all apprentices as the number one concern.
· Believes that apprenticeship produces highly skilled workers and contributes to the economic vitality of the state.
· Ensures that all who are interested have access to information about apprenticeship programs and equal opportunity to participate in them.
· Supports diversity of thought, ideas and people in the apprenticeship community.
· Assesses the potential for apprenticeship opportunities in green and emerging occupations and technologies.
· Regularly evaluates customer needs to ensure that the quality and relevance of apprenticeship training remain high.
· Communicates with all apprenticeship stakeholders in a consistent, open and fair manner.
· Establishes policy and makes decisions in an open, collaborative manner with equal input and representation from business and labor.
The Council also recognizes key indicators of an effective program:
· The ratio between apprentices and journey-level supervisors (low ratios indicate greater attention to on-the-job skill development).
· Commitment of the apprenticeship committee to diversity, availability of pre-apprenticeship orientation and training, and quality classroom trainers.
· A high ratio of apprentices that are retained and graduate is a key indicator of a strong and successful program.
Council Members and Department Staff
The Council oversees registered programs in our state and is composed of seven members; three representing the interest of labor, three representing the interests of business and one representing the general public. All but the public member are appointed by the director. The public member of the council is appointed by the governor.
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REPRESENTING BUSINESS:
Dave D'Hondt (Vice-Chair),
Executive Director, The Associated
General Contractors of Washington
Melinda Nichols, City Of Seattle
Pat Toulou, Colville Tribal Service Corp.
REPRESENTING THE GENERAL PUBLIC:
Susan W. Crane, Port Jobs
REPRESENTING LABOR:
Al Link, WA State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
(Assumed Chair effective: 11-11-2008)
David Johnson, WA State Bldg & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO
(Resigned effective: July 18, 2008)
Lee Newgent, King County Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO
(Appointed: October13, 2008)
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The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), Apprenticeship Section is the administrative arm of the Council. Along with supporting the quarterly meetings and activities of the council, the apprenticeship section, located in the Tumwater L&I building, oversees the registration and cancellation of apprentices, program compliance reviews and complaint investigations. In addition to the Central office staff, L&I has eight consultants in field offices around the state.
L & I Apprenticeship Program Staff, Tumwater
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· Secretary to the Council
Steve McLain, Assistant Director
· Apprenticeship Program Manager
Elizabeth Smith
· Apprenticeship Consultant 4
Bill Chrisman
· Apprenticeship Consultant 4
Jody Robbins
· Recording Secretary
SuAnne Pettit
· Assigned Assistant Attorney General for the Department
Judie Morton
· Central Office Staff
Michael Thurman, Nhung Nguyen, Shawna Benitez, Roger Washburn
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Regional Apprenticeship Consultants
Consultants provide support services to existing program sponsors, work with companies to start programs, educate the general public regarding apprenticeship opportunities and generally serve as the central point of contact for apprenticeship related matters in each of the six L&I regions:
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Region 1 (Northwest Washington)
· Alice Curtis
Region 2 (King County)
· Sandra Husband
· Todd Snider
Region 3 (Tacoma, Kitsap and Olympic Peninsula)
· Michael Thurman
Region 4 (Southwest Washington)
· Ed Madden
Region 4 (Tumwater Office)
· Tani Biale
Region 5 (Central Washington)
· Julie Lindstrom
Region 6 (Eastern Washington)
· Evie Lawry
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Apprenticeship by the Numbers
The number of registered apprentices actively training in Washington State continued to climb throughout 2008 and 2009. The building and construction trade occupations led the way as commercial construction remained relatively strong for much of the year. The graph below (F-1) shows the steady climb in total number of active apprentices in comparison to the growth in construction occupations (SOC 47) over the past several years. Note that the number of apprentices being added to the construction occupations continued to drive the curve through 2008.
(F-1)
The department’s apprenticeship section tracks all relevant data with regard to apprentice activity in the state. A breakdown of the apprentice activity over the past two years helps illustrate some of the details of the exceptional growth in overall numbers. Graph F-2 contains an annual comparison of minority, female and veteran participation as well as the number of apprentice registrations, cancellations and completions.
(F-2)
Annual Comparison of Apprentice Activity
Active Apprentices / 2007 / 2008Total / 17,379 / 18,656
Minority / 4,073 / 23.4% / 4,490 / 24%
Female / 1,935 / 11.1% / 1,864 / 10%
Veteran / 1,769 / 10.2% / 1,960 / 10.5%
Apprentice Activity
Registered / 6,725 / 5,368
Completed / 1,174 / 1,397
Cancelled / 2,071 / 2,303
Notes:
· Women as a percentage of those registered dropped from 2007 to 2008. Women made up 7.5% of the total registered in 2007 compared to 6.5% of the total in 2008.
· The total number of active female apprentices decreased from 2007 to 2008, as did their percentage of participation, down from 11.1% in 2007 to 10% in 2008
· 9.8% of those completing in 2007 were women compared to 8.4% in 2008.
· Minority participation in apprenticeship programs remained strong and actually increased overall and as a percentage of the total from 23.4% in 2007 to 24% in 2008.
· It takes, on average, 44 months to complete an apprenticeship program in this state, thus the disparity in completions versus registrations
· Figure F-3 (below) shows the apprentice activity for 2008 by quarter
(F-3)
2008 Apprenticeship Activity by Qtr / Jan - March / April - June / July – Sept. / Oct. – Dec.Active Apprentices / 14,572 / 15,132 / 15,771 / 15,582
Apprentice Registrations / 1,283 / 1,564 / 1,686 / 835
Completion Certificates Issued / 321 / 445 / 356 / 275
Apprentice Agreement Cancellations / 616 / 561 / 609 / 517
Active Minority Apprentices / 3406 / 3528 / 3666 / 3593
Active Female Apprentices / 1588 / 1600 / 1609 / 1548
Active Veteran Apprentices / 1523 / 1589 / 1620 / 1593
A detailed look at the breakdown of active apprentices in 2008 by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) illustrates one key element to the Council strategic plan: The importance that businesses in Washington are informed about the benefits and requirements associated with apprenticeship. The graph in F-4 reinforces the trend lines in F-1 with the Construction and related occupations (Install, Maint. & Repair) driving the apprenticeship system in our state. Much work remains to be done and the Council is committed to educating employers and industry associations regarding the benefits of the apprenticeship talent development system.
(F-4)
Standard Occupational Classifications with less than 100 active apprentices:
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89 / -- / Personal Care and Service76 / -- / Transportation and Material Moving
75 / -- / Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
67 / -- / Food Preparation and Serving Related
65 / -- / Healthcare Support
46 / -- / Architecture and Engineering
43 / -- / Office and Administrative Support
9 / -- / Management
9 / -- / Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
2 / -- / Computer and Mathematical
A look at the top 20 occupations by numbers of active apprentices in 2008 (F-5) illustrates those building trades leading the way by numbers. It also, shows that the apprenticeship education model is being applied in other than building trade occupations. While the traditional trade occupations continue to lead the way with significant numbers of active apprentices, the Washington Public School Classified Employees Apprenticeship Committee through their instructional assistant occupation and the Washington State Firefighters Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee continue building substantial programs as evidenced by their number of active apprentices in 2008. See Appendix 1 for “Apprentice Occupations by Numbers for 2008 (other than top 20)”.
(F-5)
The Council’s Strategic Plan Update
The Council updated its strategic plan in early 2007 and continued to monitor progress through 2008. The plan reflects the mission, vision and values of the Council and lays a road map for the department and apprenticeship stakeholders leading to a diverse, inclusive and expanded apprenticeship education and training system. The following areas of emphasis guided the Council’s direction through 2008:
· Emphasis on Compliance: In 2000, the expectation for greater emphasis on compliance was agreed upon with the labor community. This expectation has not been met. In order to fulfill the goal of a proactive compliance system that will build a level playing field for all competing apprenticeship programs, the department moved a current position from pre-apprenticeship into compliance. The council supported the department’s request for additional staff in the 2008 budget package only to have it fall victim to severe budgets constraints throughout state government.
· Staff for Pre-Apprenticeship: The pre-apprenticeship initiative holds tremendous potential in harnessing the energies and meeting the expectations of the high school system and trade organizations. While additional staffing has not been added to support increased involvement, the department through its AC-4 in Tumwater continued to maintain active involvement with the Office of the Superintendant of Public Instruction (OSPI). The Department and OSPI co-sponsored with Renton Technical College and the Puget Sound Skills Center the second annual Running Start for the Trades Symposium in May and also produced an update report for the legislature in December. The department continues to work closely with OSPI to make the Running Start for the Trades pre-apprenticeship schools successful.
· Staff for Marketing Apprenticeship to Employers (Training Agents): In order to ensure that apprenticeship positions which lead to permanent journey level jobs are available, it is important that businesses in Washington are informed about the benefits and requirements associated with apprenticeship. There are numerous associations and employer groups that have limited or and incorrect understanding of how apprenticeship works, its benefits and its requirements. The department worked actively through the interagency committee of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to explore innovative strategies for encouraging employers to engage in registered apprenticeship. Additionally, WorkSource trainings conducted by the department throughout 2008, delivered essential information regarding the benefits of registered apprenticeship to business services staff.
· Grants for New Apprenticeship Programs: Federal grants for emerging apprenticeships have proven successful in expanding the number of occupations with apprenticeship programs. The best example is the array of healthcare apprenticeships that have emerged from a federal grant that first focused on Medical Coordinator with Multicare in Pierce County. From this, a number of other occupations have been incorporated into the Multicare apprenticeship training system including: MRI Technician and CT Technician. In addition, limited funding that was provided to the Culinary Program has been key in the expansion of this program from approximately 8 apprentices to over 40 in the last few years. Most recently, the Aerospace manufacturing industry received an infusion of state resources to revive and grow apprenticeship training opportunities. The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee was recognized and had standards approved in 2008. The key to success in emerging programs is the ability of a sponsoring group (business and labor association) to hire an apprenticeship coordinator to manage the startup and maintenance of the program until it is self sustaining from internal resources.