Narrative: b. 2.

Idaho’s apprenticeship development team, composed of workforce, apprenticeship, education, and other key partners, was formed in 2016 to support strategies to integrate apprenticeship into statewide workforce systems. The state’s efforts towards advancing Registered Apprenticeship (RA) in Idaho have shown significant positive results since beginning a concerted effort to do so in 2015. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) have both recognized the state’s significant efforts. Here is their joint statement acknowledging Idaho’s work:

Idaho has shown a 116% increase in all apprentices, a 120% increase in new apprentices, and a 463% increase in new programs from 2015 to 2021.  Under the State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant investments, Idaho has seen substantial performance on their grants with 452% of their target goal on their ASE grant and 72.67% of their SAEEI grant (y-t-d).  AIR and SPR have found through a state analysis that Idaho has developed innovations across three of the five expansion elements, including State Leadership and Policy; Outreach and Business Engagement; and Capacity to Develop, Register, and Support Programs.

The Idaho Department of Labor’s (IDOL) Registered Apprenticeship Unit is the state’s primary organization which develops, writes, and submits RA standards for registration with U.S.DOL-Office of Apprenticeship. IDOL’s RA team guides sponsors through the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) development process and serves as the only program providing technical assistance to sponsors through the sponsorship life-cycle and RAP expansion. Technical assistance offerings include Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database System (RAPIDS, for RA reporting), IdahoWorks (the state’s workforce management information system), job postings, mentor training, and EEOC. Supporting these efforts are the internally developed resources such as the online Apprenticeship Idaho Sponsor Success Guide, online Apprentice Orientation Training System, and the innovative Sponsor Journey Map, a nationally recognized best practice by U.S.DOL/American Institutes for Research for state apprenticeship agencies which guides partners through the RAP development process.

Partnership and Alignment to Support Workforce System Integration
IDOLS’s alignment with the Apprenticeship Idaho Coalition and other key partners underscores our commitment to integrating apprenticeship with regional and statewide workforce development plans. This coalition facilitates training events and technical assistance, fostering growth and diversification of RAPs. Together with the state’s Workforce Development Council, Idaho Division of Career Technical Education, AFL-CIO, Idaho Business for Education, Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Idaho Department of Corrections, the coalition connects across individual grants to support overall system expansion. Coalition leaders work collaboratively to achieve increased growth, development, modernization, and diversification of RAPs across Idaho. Meeting biweekly, the coalition hosts training and technical assistance events for employers, sponsors, and related-training instruction (RTI) providers across the state.

As recipients of several distinct apprenticeship grants, IDOL plans to continue the state’s focus on innovating and modernizing its RAP systems through expansion and development of the following projects:

• Increase Career Ladders in the Most In-Demand Occupations in Need of Skilled Labor –Challenged with needing additional support in creating RAPs for the lowest skilled workers, Apprenticeship Idaho plans to create pre-set and customizable career ladder/career lattice models to help employers with the most in-demand occupations.
• Develop a quality framework for Pre-Apprenticeship Programs leading to RAPs. – Research and design of a Pre-Apprenticeship Program, including curriculum development in areas of highest industry need, development a directory of Pre-Apprenticeship Programs and providers, and the potential development of a certification process.
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility – A designated team placed strategically throughout the community, working alongside, and embedded within organizations and state agencies representing under-represented populations. The team will liaise with employers to expand RAP opportunities and create Individualized Resource Teams (IRTs) to facilitate talent pipeline connections and supportive wrap around services. Notable apprenticeship increases from FY22 to FY23 include:
  • Females – 221 to 425, a more than 92 percent increase over the year.
  • Hispanic/Latinos – 125 to 229, a more than 83 percent increase.
  • Vets – 56 to 103, a just under 84 percent increase, and
  • Persons with disabilities – 18 to 39, an over 116 percent increase over the previous year.
• Public Sector Apprenticeships – A team of public agency representatives dedicated to the development of Registered Apprenticeship programs across state agencies.
• “Ready to Grow” RAPs with Online Customization System – An online system will allow employers to choose the work process and RTI provider/outline per RAP, providing for customization when necessary.
• Career Pathway Match-Making System – This helps users create a pathway of existing options, from job shadowing, internship, pre-apprenticeship, and leading to RA within that career choice.
• Third Party Credential Search – A data system to house all apprentice certifications as they progress through related certifications, pre-apprenticeship, and RA certifications.
• K-12 Awareness and National Apprenticeship Week curriculum – A three-phased initiative to build awareness of apprenticeship as a viable career pathway begun in 2022, saw the successful completion of phases 1 and 2. Phase 1, entitled Booper Dreams Big: An Almost True Story of Apprenticeship, is a colorful children’s book about Booper the dog and his dream of having a career in space exploration. It was released during National Apprenticeship Week 2022 and continues to be distributed for free to elementary schools and libraries. For Phase 2, Apprenticeship Idaho partnered with the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance to contribute to the state mandated career planning coursework by collaborating on the creation of an apprenticeship module for the online course. Phase 3 of the initiative will be released in 2024 and targets 9-12 graders with social media activities to expand awareness and a dedicated apprenticeship coordinator embedded in the Career Technical Education system to bring apprenticeship program employers and students together.
• Automate current Talent Pipeline Referral System to reduce lag time for apprentices qualified for inter-agency supportive services.
• Unify Information Technology (IT) Systems - Unify all state agencies working on RA projects under one single CRM system that monitors interactions with employers and allows partners to track the progress of RAPs throughout the development process. Integrating the current talent-pipeline referral system and providing more real-time follow-through with automated data triggering is also a proposed project outcome.
•  Apprenticeship Idaho Funding Committee - Represents seven different funds that offer support to apprenticeship training programs and the committee members collaborate on referrals to provide maximum benefit available to sponsors.
• In partnership with the USDOL Women's Bureau, Apprenticeship Idaho hosted the state’s  first Idaho Women in Transportation & Trades event.

Idaho moved beyond a siloed approach and committed to integrating apprenticeship programs with business outreach and partner collaboration, thereby enhancing its workforce development system and supporting key industries. Through the cross training of workforce, education, community and business sectors, Apprenticeship Idaho partners serve to improve the state’s RA capacity, with many individual and employer customers benefitting from this “tag-teaming” of resources, which spur its continued success.