Form ETA-9135 Apprenticeship Evaluation Survey

APPENDIX A

SURVEY INSTRUMENT

EVALUATION OF APPRENTICESHIP

ETA-9135

OMB Approval Number 1205-0NEW

Approval Expires _______

U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration

Survey of Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors

Part I: Instructions and Introduction

Hello, is this the ______________________________________? (Name of sponsor’s organization.)

My name is __________________. I am calling from Planmatics Inc., in Rockville, Maryland. We are conducting a survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor to learn what sponsors think about registered apprenticeship.

Can you direct me to ____________________________ (Name of contact for sponsor) or to the person who would know most about the apprenticeship program in your organization?

Once connected with the person:

My name is __________________. I am calling from Planmatics in Rockville, Maryland. We are conducting a survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor to learn about sponsors views on registered apprenticeship. Your organization should have received a letter explaining the purpose of the study and encouraging you to participate. I understand you are the best person to respond to our questions about apprenticeship in your organization.

Before I go any further, I need to ask if you’ve had any apprentices since 2003? ____ Yes (Got to~) ____ No (Go to ~~)

~~ (If no) Thank you so much. Our guidelines say that there must have been an apprentice in the last two year. I’m sorry we can’t include you in the survey. Thank you for your time.

~ (If yes) The survey is short and will take about 15 minutes of your time. Would you like to begin now? ____ Yes (Go to* Confidentiality Statement) _____ No

(If no) Would you prefer to do it at a later time? ____ No (Go to *) ____ Yes (Go to***)

* (If no) I am sorry you are not willing to participate in our survey. The Department of Labor really is interested in hearing your views and it will help in improving the apprenticeship system. The survey is also available online via the internet. The information you provide will be completely confidential. Can we call you back at a more convenient time or give you information on how to complete the survey online?

_____ No (Go to**) ______ Yes (Go to***)

** (If no) Thank you very much. ____ Yes (Go to***)

***(If yes, telephone, ask:) Is now a good time for you to complete the survey?

___ No (Go to**)

___ Yes (Go to the Confidentiality statement below)

**(If they want to reschedule the time, ask) When would be a convenient time for us to call back? ____________________________

I have your phone number as: ___________________________(fill in from before)

Is that correct, or is there a better number at which to reach you? _________________________

And, what is your job title? ____________________________________________

Thank you for your time. We will call you on ________________________ (based on response above).

***(If yes, online, ask) May I have your e-mail address so that we can send you information on how to reach the Internet version of the survey?

____________________________________________________________________

(Read back the e-mail address to make sure it is correct.)

You will receive an email shortly directing you to the website for the survey. Please go to the website and complete the survey within 5 days. If you have difficulty accessing the website, or if you have questions about the survey, call us at: ___________________

May I confirm some information with you?

I have your phone number as: ___________________________(fill in from before)

Is that correct or is there a better number to at which to reach you? _________________

And, what is your job title? _____________________________________________

Thank you very much for your participation in the survey. We look forward to receiving your responses.

*Confidentiality Statement: Before we begin the survey, I want you to know that your responses will be confidential. Your answers will be combined with what other respondents say and you, your company and your answers will never be identified.

Part II: Questionnaire

Section A. Background Information

1. Our records indicate that your industry is _____________ (filled in from database)

Is that correct? __ Yes ___ No

(If no) What industry best describes your program?

(Open-ended, to be coded. If respondent doesn’t know probe by asking the following.)

___ Aerospace

___ Automotive Services

___ Biotechnology

___ Construction

___ Energy

___ Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate

___ Geospatial Technology

___ Health Services

___ Homeland Security

___ Hospitality (Hotel, Restaurants, and Lodging)

___ Information Technology

___ Retail Trade (Merchandizing only)

___ Transportation

___ Other (Specify)* __________________________________________

2. In what occupations are your apprenticeship programs?

(Open-ended, coding should be cued into computer.)

(1)_______________________ (2)_________________________ (3)_______________________

3. How long has your organization been sponsoring registered apprenticeship programs?

___ less than 1 year

___ 1 to 5 years

___ 6 to 10 years

___ more than 10 years

4. How many registered apprentices do you have now? ____ (If none, go to Q6, else go to Q7)

5. When did you last have an apprentice? ______ (month) _______ (year)

How many apprentices did you have at that time? _____

6. Do you plan to continue your apprenticeship program for the next year?

____Yes ___ No (If no, please explain reasons for not continuing.)

7. Do you have plans to expand the number of apprentices? ___Yes ___ No

8. (Ask of employer-sponsors only.) In the last few years, has your company ever hired workers who completed apprenticeships in other companies? ___Yes ___ No

Section B. View on Apprenticeship – Benefits, Drawbacks

9. I’d like to get a sense of what you see as the benefits of registered apprenticeship. I’m going to read you a list of potential benefits. For each benefit, tell me if you think it is very important, somewhat important, or not important to you?

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important
	1	2	3
Helps meet our demand for skilled workers
Helps with employee recruitment and retention
Reliably shows which workers have the skills to do the job
Adds to productivity or high quality of services
Saves money on workers’ pay
Good for worker morale/pride
Leads to fewer safety problems
Helps us meet government requirements
Helps us meet licensing requirements
Other (specify) ____________________

10. Would you recommend to other employers that they use registered apprenticeship to train their workers in skilled occupations?

_____Yes, strongly

_____Yes, with reservations

_____ No

_____ Don’t know

11. Now I’d like to ask you about costs or possible drawbacks in regard to registered apprenticeship. For each item, tell me if it is not a problem, a minor problem, or a significant problem.

	Not a problem	Minor problem	Significant problem
	1	2	3
Cost of related instruction
Cost of experienced workers’ time
Takes too long to produce skilled workers
Too much effort to manage a program
Too many apprentices drop out before completion
Competitors poach apprentices when they become fully skilled
Too much paperwork
Other __________________________

Section C. The Apprenticeship System

12. If you could change anything about apprenticeship and how it is run, what would you want? Would you want….?(Check all that apply.)

__More help in finding and screening applicants

__Faster registration of apprentices

__Simpler process for setting up a new program

__Better “due process” for delayed or rejected program approval

__Easier multi-state registration

__More help in finding related instruction.

__More information on laws such as the Davis-Bacon Act (Ask only if a construction company.)

__Other (Please probe) _________________________________________________

13. Have you ever used the Registered Apprenticeship website found at http://www.doleta.gov/atels_bat/? 

Yes _____ No_____

14. Now I’d like to ask you about competency-based standards, which means assessing progress through a demonstration of abilities and knowledge, rather than on the basis of time. Do you have any interest in learning about, or how to use, competency-based apprenticeship training?

Yes _____ No_____

15. Please rate your apprenticeship registration agency on the following factors:

	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor	No Answer/Not Applicable
	4	3	2	1	0
Timeliness in processing applications and responding to inquiries
Clear guidance on program registration and requirements
Use of on-line registration
Promoting expansion of apprenticeship

Section D. Sponsor’s Data Collection Activities

16. Now I’d like to find out about the data you keep on your apprenticeship program. Do you keep records of…? (Check all that apply.)

__The number of apprentices

__ How many complete your program

__ Reasons for noncompletion

__ How many pass state licensing/certification examination

__ How many stay with your organization once they complete their apprenticeship

__ Costs of related instruction

__ Benefits of apprenticeship

17. Could you provide an estimate of the percentage of those who start an apprenticeship in your company and actually complete the program? _______

Section E. Integration into the Workforce Development System

I’d now like to ask you some questions about the larger workforce system which includes One-Stop centers. These are offices where people can find information about job vacancies and how to find a job and employers can post job vacancies. Sometimes Job Service or Employment Service offices are One-Stops and there are other programs that can be accessed through them, such as Unemployment Insurance.

18. Have you ever used a One-Stop Center to post apprenticeship openings? __ Yes __ No

19. Has the One-Stop office or Job Service sent any applicants to your apprenticeship program?

___Yes ____No ___ Don’t know

20. Has the One-Stop or Job Service office contacted you about posting apprenticeship openings?

__ Yes ___ No ___ Don’t know

21. Is anyone in your organization a member of the local Workforce Investment Board?

__ Yes __ No ___ Don’t know

22. I am going to read a list of potential sources for obtaining applicants for registered apprenticeship. Tell me which ones you’ve found effective in getting good applicants for your apprenticeship program: (Check all that apply.)

___ Newspaper want-ad

___ Internet listing

___ Referrals from local One-Stop Center/Job Service office

___ Community-based organization

___ High schools

___ Community college or pubic technical school

___ Private vocational school

___ Preapprenticeship program

___ Current employees

___ Union

___ Other (Please probe to get specific answer) ________________________________

Section F. Related instruction and standards

23. What organization supplies the related instruction for your program(s)? Is it…? (Check all that apply.)

__ Local community college

__ Distance learning provider

__ Post-secondary vocational or technical school

__ High school

__ Proprietary school

__ Sponsor-owned or operated training facility

__ Other (Please probe) _____________________________________

24. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent, how would you rate the quality of related instruction received most recently by your apprentices?

Poor _1 _2 _3 _4 _5 Excellent (If 3 or lower, ask why.)

25. Who pays for the related instruction? Is it…? (Check all that apply.)

__ The employer

__ The apprentice

__ Joint labor-management training fund

__ Public funding (WIA, Pell grants, state aid)

__ Other: (Please probe) _________________________________________

26. Can you tell me when your apprentices take related instruction -- Is it…?

(Check all that apply.)

___ During working hours

___ Evenings

___ Weekends

___ Varies

27. Do apprentices in your program receive pay for any time spent in related classroom instruction?

_____ Yes _____ No

Section G. Other/General Comments

28. Regarding apprentices who didn’t complete your program, what do you think are the main reasons they didn’t complete (can have more than one answer)?

___ Transferred to another apprenticeship program

___ Gained craft license/took another job before completion

___ Problems with performance (on the job or in classroom)

___ Personal issues (illness, family needs, drugs, alcohol)

___ Other _____________________________

___ Don’t know/Not applicable.

29. Have you ever tried to register your program in another state? ___ Y ___ N (If Y) Were you successful? ___ Y ___ N; (If Y, in how many states altogether is your program registered? _____

30. We have come to the end of the questionnaire. Do you have any comments to add about registered apprenticeship, the apprenticeship system in your state, or that in other states?

________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you again for your time and the valuable information you have provided.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

LALITH DESILVA, PLANMATICS, INC., AT (301) 987-7423

OR

CHARLOTTE SCHIFFERES, USDOL, AT (202) 693-3655

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1205-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 17 minutes, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210.

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