Creating or Expanding your Apprenticeship

It's important that your company finds and keeps quality employees that have developed valuable skills necessary to perform the job. Many employers are finding it progressively more difficult to find employees who possess all the skills needed for the position. However, by offering apprenticeship opportunities, combined with on-the-job training and classroom learning, you will be able to ensure that your apprentices or employees are gaining the necessary skills.

By offering an apprenticeship program, you will create many opportunities for growth within your company. Not only does it allow your company to get the training needed to keep employees current on changes in the workplace, but it also ensures that employees are acquiring the skills needed to perform the job to the best of their ability while increasing productivity and efficiency. An apprenticeship program can help develop highly skilled employees. Companies can utilize apprenticeship programs as a recruiting tool to bring in new employees as well. Offering an apprenticeship program will be beneficial for employees who want to grow on the job.

How to Get Started

Starting an apprenticeship is typically done through the federal Registered Apprenticeship system. To start a program, your first step should be filling out the IDES Apprenticeship Registration Form. You can choose to allow local colleges or high schools permission to participate in the classroom portion of the apprenticeship.

If your company already offers an apprenticeship program but has not registered with IDES, you can register with the same form mentioned above. Registering your apprenticeship program ensures that it will be displayed by IDES, Illinois workNet, and the US Department of Labor (DOL), which means you are creating a larger pool of potential employees.

For additional support, check out the following resources:

• IDES Apprenticeship Employers Page
• DOL Apprenticeship Page
• Illinois workNet Partnership for Registered Apprenticeships Page
  

If you're looking for a more detailed guide for building a program, check out the Department of Labor's Quick-Start Toolkit. If you're looking for further reading, then take a look at the DOL's Apprenticeship page for employers or Illinois workNet's Apprenticeship Illinois and Employer-Based Training Programs pages. Finally, for even more articles and resources, head over to Tips, Tools, & Resources.