Leveraging Registered Apprenticeship to Build a Thriving and Inclusive Economy

This brief highlights several levers of policy and influence that Governors can use to place registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship at the center of their workforce development efforts and empower learners and jobseekers who have been traditionally marginalized or underserved. Fundamental policy decisions such as how resources are allocated can be as crucial as the convening authority and advocacy that Governors are uniquely positioned to employ in support of registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship.

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Leveraging Registered Apprenticeship to Build a Thriving and Inclusive Economy

This brief highlights several levers of policy and influence that Governors can use to place registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship at the center of their workforce development efforts and empower learners and jobseekers who have been traditionally marginalized or underserved. Fundamental policy decisions such as how resources are allocated can be as crucial as the convening authority and advocacy that Governors are uniquely positioned to employ in support of registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship. Staff at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) conducted interviews with state leaders to inform this playbook and provide Governors with actionable steps they can take to efficiently scale registered apprenticeships. The following opportunities for Governors emerged from those interviews:  

  1. Set a clear, statewide vision for how registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship can meet 21st century workforce needs and expand access to quality career pathways.
  2. Develop a governance structure that best suits your state for apprenticeship and clearly identify who will administer programs, who they will partner with, and how programs will be implemented.
  3. Use the power of the office to convene stakeholders and decide who is at the table – and build relationships with those who are not at the table, but ought to be.
  4.  Coordinate a funding strategy by proactively pursuing federal grants and considering state investments, as well as private or philanthropic resources to fill gaps or complement available uses of public funding.  Make the state a model to employers by developing and scaling registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship programs in offices across the executive branch.
  5. Consistently advocate for and bring attention to registered apprenticeship programs and stakeholders.
  6. Establish a set of federal policy priorities that align with your state’s interests. 

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