Find the Right Partner

Why Partnerships?

Don’t go at it alone! Successful apprenticeships are born from collaboration among partners. Leverage partners to identify the resources needed to design your apprenticeship program, and recruit apprentices. Learn more about each partner role:

• Apprenticeship Offices

  National, regional, and state apprenticeship offices and agencies provide technical assistance and support to program sponsors, answer questions about the apprenticeship model, guide partners on each phase of developing a program, connect businesses to training providers, and advise partners on available funding sources to support apprenticeships.

• Sponsors

  Any person, association, committee, or organization that operates a Registered Apprenticeship Program. This entity assumes the full responsibility for administration and operation of the apprenticeship program. Sponsors can be a single business or a consortium of businesses. Alternatively, the sponsor can be a workforce intermediary, such as an industry association or a labor-management organization. Community colleges and community-based organizations can also serve as sponsors of apprenticeship programs.

• Educators

  An educator can refer to an institution such as a 4-year college, community college, occupational school, and career and technical school. The educator delivers academic and skills instruction driven by industry standards (e.g., instructors, curriculum, instructional equipment). In an apprenticeship, the education and training provider can grant progressive credentials based on competency testing, facilitate access to financial aid and other support resources (e.g., student loans, tutoring, counseling), or use marketing and outreach channels to identify potential apprentices.

• Intermediaries

  An apprenticeship intermediary is an organization with the capacity, expertise, and network to help businesses successfully create, launch, and expand apprenticeship programs. Intermediaries could be any of the following: Industry Associations and Business Organizations, Community and Technical Colleges, Non-Profit and Community-Based Organizations, Labor Management Partnerships, or Workforce Development Boards.

• Workforce Development Boards

  Workforce Development Boards direct federal, state, and local funding to workforce development programs. They help employers meet their needs for skilled workers and help career seekers find career and economic advancement.

• American Job Centers

  American Job Centers are resource centers where job seekers can get employment information, find out about career development training opportunities, and connect to various employment opportunities in their area.

• Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)

  VETS offices assist employers who would like to find federal, state, local, and other resources to make it easier to find, hire, train, and retain veterans.