Why Sponsor a Registered Apprenticeship Program?
Registered apprenticeship is a formal training relationship between an employer and an employee. It is for a specific period of time, and combines hands-on work experience with classroom instruction leading to professional, independent, skilled workers. During this time, the worker or apprentice learns a trade.
Advantages include:
- Pipeline: Supply of skilled workers
- Cost Savings: Increased productivity and reduced turnover
- Quality Work: Structured training leads to highly skilled workforce
- Happy Workers: Increased worker retention and attendance, and good-paying jobs
- Reputation: Become an industry leader in high-quality employment and training opportunities
- Credibility: National industry recognition
Read more: Download the New York State Registered Apprenticeship Booklet
How to Apply to Become a Sponsor in 8 Steps
Step 1: Contact New York State DOL
To register an apprenticeship program, you must first contact a supervising apprentice training representative who will explain the apprenticeship program, how the process works and the regulations involved.
Please note: A sponsor must have a permanent facility located in New York State, where it maintains a plant, ongoing administrative operation or other facility, which will serve as its base of operations where it has the necessary equipment to provide full training for the apprenticeship program.
Step 2: Select Your Trade
Staff will help determine which trade(s) best suit your needs. Many training outlines are immediately available. For new trades, staff will conduct a no-cost job study, which is reviewed by the State Apprenticeship and Training Council and approved by the Labor Commissioner. See List of Apprentice Trades.
Step 3: Visit
Local apprenticeship staff will visit your place of business, help you complete the application packet and provide any technical assistance.
Step 4: Select Instruction Providers
All instruction providers must be approved by the New York State Education Department. Staff can assist with identifying providers.
Step 5: Affirmative Action Plan
Employers complete an Affirmative Action Pledge (for sponsors with fewer than five apprentices) or the Affirmative Action Plan.
Step 6: 30-Day Public Comment Period (Minimum)
Information about a new program is posted online to ensure transparency. During this time, staff members review applications to ensure applicants are in compliance with labor laws.
Step 7: Approval
The approval process takes two to four months, but will vary in length depending on individual circumstances.
Step 8: Monitoring Visits
Local apprenticeship staff will monitor each program to provide technical assistance and make sure businesses are in compliance.
Apprenticeable Trades
There are many apprenticeable occupations in construction fields and outside construction. Apprenticeship also is expanding into:
- High-performance manufacturing
- New technology
- Health-related occupations
- Service occupations
If your desired trade doesn't appear on this list, contact us to determine if a trade can be developed.
Choosing an Apprentice
You are in control of the apprentice selection process. Your apprentices are your employees, so you set the standard of minimum qualifications. You can choose to award credit for prior education and experience to potential candidates.
You can choose to train as many apprentices as your business will allow. However, you must meet the ratio of skilled workers to apprentices*. This is to ensure the highest level of safety of the apprentices and quality of the training.
Cost
There is no cost for registration. There is also no cost for the technical assistance that our representatives provide.
As a sponsor, you must also provide the apprentice's required classroom-related training. Staff from the Departments of Labor and Education will help with these arrangements. The employer usually bears the cost of this related instruction. However, the cost is offset by the starting wage of an apprentice, usually at a rate of about 40% of the skilled worker rate.
Registered Employers in the construction field who have been awarded Public Work contracts may pay apprentices the apprentice prevailing rate. This is another substantial cost savings.
Sponsor Responsibilities
The sponsor is responsible for many aspects of the training program, including:
- Recruiting and selecting apprentices
- Providing skilled Journey workers to train apprentices
- Meeting or exceeding the area's apprentice-to-journeyworker ratio requirements for the trade
- Evaluating prior trade experience of apprentices
- Awarding appropriate credit toward program completion
- Assuring that apprentices are properly trained and receive proper job rotation
- Guaranteeing enough work to allow apprentices to complete their program
- Instructing apprentices in safe and healthful work practices
- Making related instruction available and accessible
- Evaluating the progress of all apprentices at least every six months
- Providing wage increases to apprentices in keeping with the agreed wage scale
- Notifying the Department of Labor of any changes in your program or apprentices
- Ensuring apprentices are hired without any direct or indirect limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, age, arrest record, or Veteran status
- Complying with all applicable statutes
- Posting a copy of the EEO complaint procedure
- Ensuring that all apprentices are aware of EEO requirements
- Assuring that the location of training complies with applicable safety and health standards
NYSDOL Funding Opportunities
Empire State Apprenticeship Tax Credit (ESATC)
First launched in 2018, The Empire State Apprenticeship Tax Credit program encourages the expansion of apprenticeship as a work-based learning model. The ESATC provides eligible employers with tax credits against New York State (NYS) income or franchise tax for registering new qualified apprentices on or after January 1, 2018.
NYSDOL Funding Opportunities (Grants)
The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) offers various grant funding opportunities to help bolster New York's Registered Apprenticeship Programs.