OMB Control Number:1290-0NEW
OMB Expiration Date:
Apprenticeship Building America Portfolio
Implementation study of the ABA Category 2&3-Youth Registered Apprenticeship
and Pre-Apprenticeship grants
INTRODUCTION
I am/we are researchers with The Urban Institute/Mathematica/Social Policy Research, private research organizations based in Washington, DC/California which conduct policy-related research on a variety of social welfare and economic issues.
This project is being conducted under contract to the U.S. Department of Labor. Our discussion here today is part of the Enhancing Registered Apprenticeship Initiatives project, a national study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. The study will learn how apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs can help improve the skills and employment outcomes of American workers. A major aim of the study is to learn more about the different models of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship being implemented. In each grantee we visit, we will be speaking with grant administrators and staff, program partners (including employers), and apprentices.
Privacy Statement: I/we know that you are busy and we will be as focused as possible and will only ask questions that are relevant to your experience. We have many questions and will be talking to many different people, so please do not feel as though we expect you to be able to answer every question. Your participation in this interview is voluntary and you may choose not to answer some or any of our questions. We will do everything we can to secure the privacy of the information you provide but ask that you consider using headphones or finding a private space to talk so that other people cannot hear or see this conversation.
We believe the risks of participating in this study are minimal.
We believe there are no direct benefits to you, but we hope that the findings from this study will benefit the Enhancing Registered Apprenticeship Initiatives project by providing research insights on how apprenticeship programs can benefit workers.
My colleague and I will be taking notes in order to document what we hear during our discussion, and we may record this discussion. We do not share these notes with anyone outside of our research team, including Department of Labor, and we will destroy these notes after the end of our project. When we compile our reports, the names of individual respondents will not be included. If we choose to quote you, you will only be identified by your title. You will not be quoted directly by name in any of our reports. While it is possible that you might be identified by your title, we will do our best to minimize the chance of that occurring.
Finally, to help us accurately capture the information you share, we would like to record this interview. The recording is just a back-up for our notes and will be kept within our small research team. The interview recording will be deleted once we have developed a full set of notes from the interview.
OMB Burden Statement: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1290-0NEW. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed and complete and review the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1290-0NEW.
Do you have any questions for me?
[If we decide to record the interview] Are you okay with us recording the interview to improve the accuracy of our notes?
Do I have your permission to begin the interview? [BEGIN INTERVIEW IF CONSENT GRANTED]
Note: Document the following information for each respondent:
Name, title and organization/affiliation
Role in the grant program and other organization roles
Length of involvement with the organization and with the program
Verify with the respondent the following background information about the grant. [Note: Collect and pre-fill this information prior to the visit from the grant application or other available documentation and verify with the respondent.]
Please describe your organization and your role in the organization.
What is your organization’s role and scope of work in the grant? Please describe.
Did you receive grant funds as a part of your involvement in the grant activities? How much funding did you receive?
Does your involvement in the grant include sponsoring an apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship program?
___Registered Apprenticeship
___Pre-apprenticeship
Does your involvement in the grant include providing one or more components of an apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship program?
___
Sponsoring a registered apprenticeship program
___ Paid
work-based experience
___ On-the-job training
___ Related education and instruction
___ Awarding credentials
___ Employer policies on safety, supervision, and equal employment opportunity
For programs you are involved in, please identify the following:
Industries targeted:
Occupations targeted:
What is your organization’s previous experience with pre-apprenticeships or apprenticeships (prior to this grant)?
Has your role for this grant changed over time? How so?
What geographic area does your grant serve, including by your own organization and any sub-grantees or various partners (e.g., identify specific states, counties or regions served])?
[Note: Collect information prior to the visit and verify during interview.]
What is the economic environment and context for the area served under the grant?
[Probe for: growth industries, extent to which industries rely on apprenticeship; industries that are most likely to feature apprenticeships/pre-apprenticeships; economic conditions such as job openings in sectors/occupations that are focus of grant]
Apprenticeship Context
What was the apprenticeship “infrastructure” like in the geographic area served prior to grant and extent of linkages of grantee/partners to apprenticeships?
[Probe for: established relationships with apprenticeship programs, state apprenticeship agencies, apprenticeship intermediaries, industry associations, unions, schools, American Job Centers, and employers]
What was the pre-apprenticeship “infrastructure” like in the geographic area served prior to grant?
What was the extent to which registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities are available, and in which industry sectors/occupations in the area served, prior to the grant?
To what extent is there overlap/linkage between this grant-funded project (e.g., the Apprenticeship Building America grants) and other federal or state initiatives?
[Probe for: other DOL apprenticeship grant initiatives; other DOL training initiatives (e.g., America’s Promise, Ready to Work, Strengthening Working Families Initiative, Tech Hire, TAACCCT grants); and any other apprenticeship initiatives besides DOL investments]
As a partnering organization, who are the key staff at your organization and their roles under the grant?
Number and position/title of staff under grant
Staff role performed under the grant
Whether staff worked on both pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program development
How do you work with [name of grantee organization]? Please describe the collaboration.
Partner Information
What other organizations do you partner with as a part of the grant? Please describe these collaborations.
How has the collaboration changed over time?
Have you developed, recommended, or implemented any policy or procedural changes to support apprenticeship expansion as a part of or as a result the grant? What are they intended to do? Have they worked as intended? How so or not? [Probe for:
State or local legislation
State or local policy guidance
Increased state or local government funding
Enrollment policy changes at a community college
Credit or articulation policy changes at a community college (e.g., credit for prior learning)
Policies/procedures on apprentice safety
Policies/procedures on apprentice supervision
Policies/procedures on equal employment opportunity for apprentices
Policies on other aspects of apprenticeship (e.g., wage progression or employer incentives)]
What systems and processes were implemented or enhanced to help simplify apprenticeship program development and reduce program start-up times and costs for registered apprenticeship programs? Have these systems or processes made it easier for employers to deploy the program(s) at scale?
What systems and processes were implemented or enhanced to help simplify pre-apprenticeship program development?
New standards, credentials, curriculum
Have you developed new or enhanced apprenticeship standards, curriculum, or credentials for the registered apprenticeship programs implemented under your grant? If yes, for which programs/industries? Please describe how they were developed and deployed.
What about pre-apprenticeships? Have you developed new or enhanced pre-apprenticeship curriculum, or credentials implemented under your grant? If yes, for which programs/industries? Please describe how they were developed and deployed.
Promoting apprenticeships/TA and data help
Have you implemented strategies to facilitate industry-wide acceptance of the apprenticeship model(s) being deployed? How has your organization and partners been promoting apprenticeship? If so, please describe these activities. What have the successes and challenges been?
Did you offer technical assistance to partners and apprenticeship sponsors? What did this entail?
As a partner under the grant, is your organization involved in recruitment and referrals of apprentices/pre-apprentices under the grant? If yes, please describe your role. [Note: if not, skip the remainder of this section of the discussion guide.]
What populations and/or subpopulations have been targeted for recruitment (for apprenticeships) by your organization under the grant? Why have these populations/subpopulations been targeted?
[Probe for:
In-school youth (16-18)
CTE students
Non-CTE students
Students at risk of dropping out
Out-of-school youth
Employed youth
Unemployed youth
Youth ex-offenders
Foster youth
Parenting youth
Homeless youth
College students
First generation
Youth populations that may traditionally be underrepresented in apprenticeship, including:
Do you target the same populations for pre-apprenticeship programs as you do for apprenticeship programs? If not, what are the differences?
Recruiting
How has your organization and its partners marketed pre-apprenticeships to prospective participants? I’ll ask about apprenticeships next. [Probe for:
Distribution of flyers, posters or other educational/informational
Program staff outreach presentations or orientations held in the area served
Informational websites
Toll-free informational hotlines
Outreach campaigns using media (e.g., PSAs, TV, radio, newspaper, ads on buses/bus shelters)
Social media (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) – please specify, which types of social media are used and how
Direct mail campaign
Word-of-mouth
Primary partners]
Do you market apprenticeship outside of your pre-apprentice recruitment pool? If so, how has your organization and its partners marketed those apprenticeships to prospective participants who are not coming from the pre-apprenticeship program? [Probe for:
Distribution of flyers, posters or other educational/informational
Program staff outreach presentations or orientations held in the area served
Informational websites
Toll-free informational hotlines
Outreach campaigns using media (e.g., PSAs, TV, radio, newspaper, ads on buses/bus shelters)
Social media (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) – please specify, which types of social media are used and how
Direct mail campaign
Word-of-mouth
Primary partners]
What organizations have provided referrals of prospective pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship participants? Which organizations have provided the most referrals? [Probe for:
Employers
Professional and industry organizations
Unions
Workforce system – American Job Centers, Employment Service, and WIOA
Local Education Agencies (LEAs), such as the local public school system
Re-engagement centers (i.e., to link youth that have dropped out of school back to school or other types of training)
Community colleges and other educational institutions including proprietary schools
Courts/correctional system/juvenile justice/probation officers
Faith-based and community-based organizations
Other public and non-profit human service agencies]
Where can individuals apply for your pre-apprenticeship programs [if they operate or work on a pre-apprenticeship program]?
Where can individuals apply for your apprenticeship programs? [if they operate or work on an apprenticeship program] [Probe for:
Employers
Community college
Your organization
Union/labor organization
Another intermediary
Pre-apprenticeship program
American Job Center]
How
successful have you and your partners been in recruiting
pre-apprenticeship participants? Have you been successful in
reaching and recruiting your target populations? Have some been
easier to reach and recruit than others?
How
successful have you and your partners been in recruiting
apprenticeship participants? Have you been successful in reaching
and recruiting your target populations? Have some been easier to
reach and recruit than others?
What strategies have you used to recruit individuals from groups who are underserved to your pre-apprenticeship program, such as women, Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic youth, out-of-school youth, veterans, people with disabilities, etc.)? Which groups have you been successful with and with which groups have you been unsuccessful? Which strategies seem successful or not?
Do you use different strategies to recruit individuals from groups who are underserved to your apprenticeship program? If so, how are they different from what you use in your pre-apprenticeship program?
Would you say that it is easier or harder to recruit individuals from groups who are underserved to your pre-apprenticeship programs, compared to your apprenticeship programs? Why do you think there is a difference?
Have there been recruitment challenges? If so, what challenges have been encountered and how have they been addressed? [Probe for:
Have difficulty finding eligible participants
Many who applied have insufficient basic skill levels
Some applicants are not interested or motivated to participate in apprenticeship
Apprenticeship period is too lengthy for some applicants
Some of the outreach strategies haven’t resulted in many applicants
Partners that were supposed to provided referrals have not provided them in sufficient numbers
Some applicants have difficulty getting to the program/employer location
Didn’t have enough resources for recruitment
Changing economic conditions in the areas has made recruitment more challenging]
Overall, what recruitment or referral strategies being used under the grant have been most successful? Do you feel any of these strategies are new, unique, and/or innovative?
As a partner under the grant, is your organization involved in participant eligibility/intake of apprentices/pre-apprentices under the grant? If yes, please describe role. [Note: if not, skip to next section of the discussion guide]
What are the eligibility requirements for enrollment for any programs your organization oversees or sponsors? [Note: Request copies of participant eligibility or intake form(s).] [Probe for:
Complete pre-apprenticeship program (i.e., for apprenticeship program component)
Be from a specific subpopulation
Reside within a specific geographic area
Meet income eligibility requirements
Meet an age requirement
Meet education level requirements (e.g. high school diploma, GED/HSED) or basic skill levels]
Describe the intake process for the pre-apprenticeship programs operating as a part of your grant? How do pre-apprentices apply to the program? Does this process vary across pre-apprenticeship programs or is it consistent?
How does the intake process differ for the apprenticeship programs operating as a part of your grant? How do apprentices apply to the program and what steps do they take to advance to being an apprentice?
At what point does a participant you are serving under the grant become an apprentice?
Does this process vary across apprenticeship programs or is it consistent?
Employer and other partner role in intake
What role, if any, do employers play in the screening and selection process for pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships under the grant, particularly in the case of incumbent workers served under the grant?
What are the main reasons that applicants are screened out or fail to move through the intake process to be considered by employers?
Beside employers, are there other organizations that assist in the intake, screening, and enrollment process for either pre-apprentices or apprentices? [Probe for:
Employers
Community or technical college
Labor organization (e.g. union, labor association/labor federation)
American Job Center
Nonprofit (e.g., community or faith-based) service/training provider
Industry association
Local government agency
State government agency]
During the intake process, are any formal assessment tools/tests used by employers or the grantee/partners (including formal tests such as the TABE, interest inventories, substance abuse screening)? If yes, please identify these formal assessments. [Note: Request copies of assessment forms, if relevant.]
Does your organization, employers, or other stakeholders typically require potential pre-apprentices or apprentices to provide or undergo any of the following before enrolling in the program?
Documentation of ability to legally work in the United States
Background check for felonies
Background check of misdemeanors
Drug screening
Physical or other medical exam
[If the grantee has more than one pre-apprenticeship program, teams should focus on one program. Use your discretion as to which programs (e.g., largest, newest, non-traditional industry programs). Walk through the set of questions below for the program you are discussing in detail on the visit. It may be appropriate to skip some of these questions with the grant manager and cover them at the employer (and/or sponsor) or training site where the apprenticeship training is being provided. For the pre-apprenticeship programs identified, cover generally the features across the pre-apprenticeship programs; alternatively, if the programs vary, the interview can focus on one specific program.]
Are you involved in supporting the pre-apprenticeship program? [If no, skip to next section]
Are pre-apprentices enrolled in cohorts, and if yes, how large are the cohorts and how frequently are new cohorts of pre-apprentices enrolled (e.g., four times a year)?
We already discussed how your grant as a whole targets particular populations. Does this pre-apprenticeship program have a special focus or target population different from other programs supported by your grant?
Has the pre-apprenticeship program encountered challenges in recruiting participants and if so, what types of challenges? How have challenges been addressed/overcome?
What is the usual duration of participation in the pre-apprenticeship program?
How many hours of instruction (i.e., classroom/web-based) are provided during the pre-apprenticeship program? Over what period of time does instruction occur?
What is the typical schedule for a pre-apprentice each week? Does this schedule change over the course of the pre-apprenticeship?
Where is instruction provided (e.g., at a community college? How is instruction provided (e.g., classroom, web-based, hybrid, laboratory/shop)?
Are there innovative methods being used as part of the pre-apprenticeship initiative? Please briefly discuss. [Probe for:
Accelerated learning modules
Contextualized learning
Self-paced learning
Competency-based learning
Prior learning assessments/credit for prior learning
Technology-enabled learning, such as use of simulators, on-line teaching/learning
Integrating basic skills instruction with technical instruction]
Is there a work-based learning opportunity provided as part of the pre-apprenticeship program? If yes:
How many hours of work-based learning do pre-apprentices complete?
Where do pre-apprentices work and in what types of jobs?
What credentials do pre-apprenticeship participants earn from this pre-apprenticeship program?
Do pre-apprentices receive credit in their apprenticeship programs for time in the pre-apprenticeship program?
What guidance do the pre-apprentices receive in applying to apprenticeship programs?
To what extent are non-training supports provided during the pre-apprenticeship period (e.g., case management, career coaches/navigators counseling, and mentoring)?
To what extent are supportive services provided during the pre-apprenticeship period, such as transportation assistance, work clothes/equipment, childcare, and needs-based payments? If provided, how are these supportive services structured and paid for? Who provides these services?
What, if any, post-completion services are provided to participants of the pre-apprenticeship program(s)? [Probe for:
Referral to apprenticeship programs
Referral to other education or training programs
Help with paying for certification exams or obtaining credentialing
Job search or placement assistance
Job retention services
Provision or referral to supportive services]
To what extent are supportive services provided during the pre-apprenticeship period, such as transportation assistance, work clothes/equipment, childcare, and needs-based payments? If provided, how are these supportive services structured and paid for? Who provides these services?
– AN EXAMPLE OF A REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM FUNDED UNDER THE GRANT THAT IS TIED TO THE PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM JUST DISCUSSED
What geographic area is the apprenticeship program serving?
What industry sector is the focus of the apprenticeship program?
Who is the sponsor of the apprenticeship program (e.g., a group sponsor, employer, union, etc.)?
Is the recruitment and intake process for this program substantially different from what you described above for the grant as a whole? If so:
a. What is the typical recruitment source(s) for the apprenticeship program? What methods are used for recruitment? Are apprentices enrolled in cohorts, and if yes, how often are new cohorts enrolled (e.g., 4 times a year)?
b. Is your pre-apprenticeship program a major recruitment source for the apprenticeship program, or one of many recruitment sources?
c. Are there any other types of targeting of special populations? Please identify specific subgroup populations targeted. What strategies are used to recruit them?
d. What is the eligibility criteria used in selecting participants for the apprenticeship program? Please also briefly discuss the assessment and intake process.
Is the apprenticeship program time-based (e.g., completion of specific numbers of hours of training), competency-based or a combination of the two?
If time-based, what is the usual duration of participation in the apprenticeship?
If competency-based, how is it determined that a participant has achieved the necessary level of competence to complete the apprenticeship? How long does it take an apprentice typically to reach the necessary level of competence and how much variation is there across apprentices?
How many hours of RTI (i.e., classroom/web-based) are provided during the apprenticeship component? Over what period of time does RTI occur?
What is the typical schedule for an apprentice each week – e.g., 4 hours of formal classroom instruction and 36 hours of work)? Does this schedule change over the course of the apprenticeship?
Where and how is instruction provided (e.g., classroom, web-based, hybrid, laboratory/shop)?
Is RTI and OJT provided concurrently, is it front-loaded, or does RTI and OJT alternate during the apprenticeship?
Please provide a brief overview of the instruction provided (e.g., topics covered in classroom instruction). [Note: If applicable, request a syllabus for the coursework or a topic outline for the training.]
Are there innovative RTI methods being used as part of the apprenticeship program? Please briefly discuss. [Probe for:
Accelerated learning modules
Contextualized learning
Team teaching
Self-paced learning
Competency-based learning
Prior learning assessments
Technology-enabled learning, such as use of simulators, on-line teaching/learning
Integrating basic skills instruction with technical instruction]
While involved in RTI, how many hours of work at a job/employer site does an apprentice complete (i.e., each week, month, or year). Does this vary over time and, if so, how? How many total hours of OJT would an apprentice typically complete over the period of the apprenticeship?
Who oversees and provides workplace/on-the-job instruction to the apprentice (i.e., while the apprentice is working)? Please briefly describe the nature of the workplace instruction provided to apprentices.
How are mentors for OJT provided to apprentices?
Is the apprenticeship training connected to higher education? If so, how? Do apprenticeship participants receive post-secondary (college) credits, credentials, or certificates? What are the credits, credentials, and/or certificates?
What is the schedule of wages and benefits for apprentices?
What is the starting wage?
What is the ending wage?
On average, how large is the hourly wage increase in dollars: $_____
What milestones trigger increases in hourly wages? (e.g., annual increases, achievement of certain set of competencies, completion of RTI)
Do apprentices receive any of the following benefits other than their wages during their apprenticeship program?
Health benefits
Paid sick leave
Paid vacation time
Retirement benefits
Other (Please specify)
To what extent are non-training supports provided during the apprenticeship period and what is the source of funding for these supports (e.g., case management, career coaches/navigators counseling, and mentoring)?
Are there additional supports or other strategies used to help apprentices from underserved populations successfully complete the program? If so, please describe.
To what extent are supportive services provided for apprentices, such as transportation assistance, work clothes/equipment, childcare, and needs-based payments? If provided, how are these supportive services structured and paid for? Who provides these services?
Do apprentices pay any costs of the RTI (e.g., tuition, fees, equipment/books, etc.)?
[Note: Skip this section if the partnering organization is not involved in employer recruitment. Prior to the site visit, collect the following information from the grant application on the following to the extent it is available:
Who are the collaborating employers listed on the grant application?
[Provide a full list of employers.]
What methods did the proposal specify for reaching out to and involving the employers?
What roles, if any, did the partner propose to play in helping company to plan and/or implement apprenticeship programs?]
Under the grant, does your organization play a role in marketing to, recruiting, and/or engaging employers to consider establishing or expanding with apprenticeship program(s)? [Skip to the next section if the answer is no.]
At your organization, about how many full-time staff equivalents (FTEs) for the past year were funded under the grant to conduct employer outreach, recruitment, and engagement effort under the grant? __________FTEs
Under the grant, what number of employers have been engaged by your organization to date (i.e., those employers that have adopted apprenticeship programs as a result of your grant project)?
_____ employers engaged (as of ___/___/___)
If known, about what percentage of those engaged have had fewer than 25 employees?
If known, what is the largest and smallest number of apprentices enrolled in apprenticeships at the employers that have been engaged?
What methods have been used to reach out to and recruit employers? Which methods have proved more and less successful?
[Probe for:
Direct contact through telephone or emails
Distribution of flyers
Program staff outreach presentations or orientations with employers or business organizations
Referrals from other organizations and employers (e.g., the Chamber of Commerce, other businesses organizations, employers sponsoring apprenticeships, workforce development programs, etc.)
Outreach campaigns using media (e.g., PSAs, TV, radio, newspaper, etc.)
Websites/social media (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) – please specify, which types of social media are used and how
Word-of-mouth]
What message(s) have been used by your organization to engage employers? Do messages vary by size or other characteristics of the employer? Which messages have been most/least effective?
How have targeted employers responded to the outreach and recruitment effort?
Has the grant-funded initiative been able to recruit the intended number of employers?
Has the pool of potential employers for the program been sufficient? Has this pool of potential employers changed over the course of the grant? If so, how and why?
Have there been more employers interested in engaging under the grant than can be included (e.g., is there a waiting list for employers to join)?
If any of the following data are available, please provide (Note: Estimates are fine if actual numbers are not available):
# employers outreached
# or % interested
# or % moving along pathway to establishing apprentice/pre-apprenticeships
# or % of employers registering apprenticeships programs
Employer challenges and motivations
What are the key barriers in persuading companies to start or expand apprenticeship programs?
What are the key factors that motivate employers to start or expand apprenticeship programs?
What are the key obstacles or reservations that employers cite to grantee staff when they are not interested in moving forward to establishing an apprenticeship program?
Assistance to Employers
What types of assistance has your organization provided employers to help them in planning and initiating apprenticeship programs?
If data are available, for how many employers has your organization assisted in developing apprenticeship work processes (i.e., apprenticeship standards) and in applying for registration under the grant?
[Note: Details on the program(s) will be covered in Section F. In this section, we want to get more detail on the employer’s role and decisions around sponsoring or offering an apprenticeship opportunity.]
How did you learn about pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and the opportunity to be involved in this effort?
Why were you interested in pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship training? How did you think it could benefit your company?
What were your reservations or concerns about apprenticeship training and how it would work in your company?
How did you and your company come to the decision to sponsor an apprenticeship program or provide pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship opportunities (with another organization serving as the sponsor)? What were the main reasons you decide to do this?
What did your company do to launch the apprenticeship program? Did you receive any assistance through the grant or partners? What were the start-up activities and costs?
Did you work with the grantee or other partners to register your apprenticeship program? Please describe this process. How easy or difficult was it?
How did you decide on the staff to be involved in the program, e.g., supervisors, mentors, trainers? How did you prepare staff for these roles? How have you monitored their performance?
Did you recruit apprentices from your workforce, new employees and enroll them in the apprenticeship program, or both? Why? Did you receive assistance from the grantee or partners on recruitment and intake of apprentices? Were they particular qualifications you thought were important?
How did you decide on what organization would provide the related training instruction for your apprentices? Did you use curriculum developed through the grant or something else? Do you provide support to apprentices for this training (e.g., tuition costs, time on the clock, use of computer)?
Were you provided any financial supports through the grantee or their partners to offset your company’s costs of operating the apprenticeship program? Please describe them. Were they adequate for offsetting your costs?
How did you and your company address issues around apprentice safety, supervision, or equal employment opportunity? Were there internal policies or practices you had to develop or did your company already have these in place?
What has been the response of the apprentices to the program? Has it been positive or negative? Please describe.
What information did you have to track on your apprentices? How easy or difficult was it to collect and report this information? Did you receive any assistance to do this?
How satisfied are you and your company with the apprenticeship program? Did it meet your expectations? How so or not?
Will your company continue to offer the apprenticeship program? Why or why not?
How is your organization supporting persistence and completion of pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs? What features of the pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs make it easier for participants to complete the program? [Probe for:
Online related education and instruction (rather than going to campus or provider)
Self-paced instruction
Competency-based learning
Contextualized learning
Integrated instruction/team teaching
Prior learning assessments/credit for prior learning
Technology-enabled learning other than online learning (e.g., simulation labs)
Paid time for related instruction
Competency-based apprenticeship]
Which of the following personal supports is your organization routinely offered for pre-apprentices and apprentices participating under the grant? For example:
[Probe for:
Transportation
Childcare
Dependent care
Housing assistance
Needs-related payments that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in education and training activities funded through this grant]
Which of the following academic supports is your organization routinely offered for pre-apprentices and apprentices participating under the grant? [Probe for:
Academic advising and counseling
Tutoring
Tuition assistance
Basic skills training
Career counseling or coaching
Have there been supportive services you have not been able to provide to or help pre-apprentices and apprentices access to support their success? If so, which ones and why?
Have any limits been placed on a maximum amount of grant funding for supportive services to be available to apprentices? If yes, what is the maximum amount per apprentice: $__________
[If listed case manager, coach or other support staff in C1] [Probe for:
Apprentice monitoring and case management
Career counseling and coaching
Financial counseling
Monitoring satisfaction of apprentice with employer
Personal counseling
Referrals to services in the community]
Is your organization providing gift cards or other payments to apprentices for providing information on their employment status after they leave the program? If yes, please describe.
Strategies (non-supports and supports) helping completion
What strategies are being used to support completion and employment success for underserved populations that may differ from the generally available supports? How well do they appear to help these apprentices? Are there some services they need that you can’t offer or help them access?
How well are supportive services helping apprentices persist in and complete their program? How well are supportive services helping apprentices improve their employment opportunities and circumstances (e.g., find and retain job, get promoted, wages)?
What aspects of your partnership have been most successful? The most challenging? To what extent will the partnership and your activities be sustained?
To date, what do you consider to be your most successful strategies implemented under the grant?
Which apprenticeship programs or models have appeared most successful? Why so?
To date, what do you believe to be the main lessons from your involvement in the grant for apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship program design and operations?
What innovations and strategies under the grant can contribute to efforts to encourage more employers to adopt apprenticeships?
CHECKLIST OF ITEMS TO COLLECT FROM SITE (IF AVAILABLE)
Background information about the partnering organization
Additional documentation detailing key apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship program components (e.g., RTI, on-the-job training or mentoring)
Evaluation reports that may have been prepared on the program
Blank set of intake forms
Diagram showing how participants flow through the program
Organizational chart for the program
Participant recruitment materials
Employer recruitment material
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | ATTACHMENT 7 |
| Author | admined |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2024-07-23 |