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Build diversity into the whole apprenticeship pathway—not just recruitment. Start with a local representation baseline, work with community and workforce partners, make any pre-apprenticeship route lead to a clear application opportunity, support apprentices on the job, and track progress through employment. The right design depends on the state, trade, sponsor, employers, and current local intake process; no single model is established as best for every market.
What does a more diverse apprenticeship pathway need to do?
A construction apprenticeship program widens access only if people can find it, meet its entry requirements, apply, enter, remain, complete, and connect to work. A recruitment campaign addresses only the first part of that path. If the application process is hard to navigate, preparation is inaccessible, or the training and job environment makes apprentices leave, outreach alone will not solve the problem.
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Design the pathway around its handoffs. Community organizations, schools, workforce providers, apprenticeship sponsors, employers, unions where relevant, and workforce agencies may each be responsible for a different step. Assign an owner to each handoff—from initial outreach and eligibility screening to readiness instruction, application assistance, workplace support, and follow-up after entry—so prospective apprentices are not left to navigate the system on their own.
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U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) materials support partnership-based access, pre-apprenticeship connections, orientations, supportive services, mentoring, and ongoing support as components to consider. They do not establish that any single intervention produces the same result in every location. Treat the design as a local program question and examine what happens to participants at each stage.
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How should a program set its baseline and goals?
Choose the population and comparison before counting
First define which geography, construction occupations, employers, and apprenticeship sponsors the program covers. Then decide what population is an appropriate comparison and state the year. Representation can be compared with a group’s share of the local labor force, relevant occupation, or another clearly defined population; those choices answer different questions.
DOL defines underrepresentation by comparing a group’s share in an occupation, apprenticeship, or job with its share of the general population. Its construction apprenticeship research reports that women’s and Black workers’ utilization in construction registered apprenticeship was higher than their utilization in the national construction industry, yet remained below their share of the total workforce. The result illustrates why a program should name its comparison group rather than describe a group as adequately represented based on an unspecified benchmark.
Find where participation drops
Break the pathway into stages: who hears about the opportunity, applies, meets eligibility requirements, enters training, transitions from any pre-apprenticeship, remains enrolled, completes, and obtains employment. Compare the people moving through each stage with the local baseline. A gap before application calls for a different response than a gap at selection, during training, or in job placement.
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Should candidates apply directly or start with pre-apprenticeship?
Pre-apprenticeship can help people prepare for registered apprenticeship, but it should be a bridge rather than an endpoint. Not every candidate needs a preparatory course, and taking one does not by itself guarantee admission or a job. The choice depends on sponsor requirements, candidate readiness, and whether the local program has a real transition arrangement.
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| Pathway | What it offers | What to verify locally |
|---|---|---|
| Direct application | A candidate applies to a registered apprenticeship sponsor without first taking a pre-apprenticeship course. | Current intake dates, prerequisites, selection process, and how to get application help. |
| Pre-apprenticeship bridge | Readiness training can prepare participants for registered apprenticeship and connect them with sponsors. | Which sponsors accept referrals, progression criteria, application windows, and whether placement opportunities are current. |
DOL describes pre-apprenticeship leading to registered apprenticeship as an equity pathway. Its construction-sector TradesFutures initiative uses the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) and partnerships intended to connect graduates with union placement opportunities. A local program should confirm participating partners and actual progression arrangements rather than assume a course guarantees entry.
Check that the bridge has a destination
Before referring a candidate, identify the registered apprenticeship sponsors connected to the preparation program, the prerequisites those sponsors use, and when they accept applications. Make clear which steps are guaranteed and which are competitive. Explain who helps with applications and what happens if a participant is not selected in the first intake.
Ask who provides and pays for readiness training and any supportive services, how far participants must travel, and whether the schedule fits with work or caregiving responsibilities. These are local program details to confirm; the available DOL material does not establish one standard arrangement across regions.
How can employers and sponsors build a partner-led recruitment route?
Map partners to specific tasks
Identify community-based organizations, schools, workforce-development providers, apprenticeship sponsors, construction employers, unions where applicable, and state or local workforce agencies. DOL grant materials describe partnerships among industry, education, and workforce systems as part of apprenticeship access efforts.
For each partner, write down the role it owns and the person responsible for the handoff. For example, one organization may conduct outreach, another may help candidates understand eligibility, and a sponsor may manage applications and selection. Employers and unions can explain job expectations and connect training to actual work opportunities. A named contact and a follow-up process make referrals easier to complete and easier to evaluate.
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Make the application process understandable
Give prospective applicants accurate, plain-language information about the trade, training, work expectations, selection steps, prerequisites, and intake dates. Explain where to get help with the application and whom to contact with questions. Keep information current with the sponsor: local intake schedules and requirements can differ and change.
Review outreach materials and application steps with the communities the program hopes to reach. Ask whether people can find the information, understand what is required, and complete the process. Use the answers to correct practical barriers rather than treating low application numbers as a lack of interest.
What can employers do to help apprentices stay?
Recruitment and retention belong in the same design. Ask apprentices what makes it harder to participate, then identify supports that match local needs. The DOL Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) materials include employer, union, and worker orientations; support groups; networks; and supportive services among the approaches they cover. A DOL knowledge report also summarizes mentoring and ongoing support as relevant to retention.
Make expectations and support visible
Orient apprentices to training and workplace expectations, explain how to raise concerns, and ensure they know whom to contact for help. Employers, unions, sponsors, and workers can take part in orientations so apprentices hear how training and workplace responsibilities fit together. Peer networks and mentoring may provide continuing support rather than leaving apprentices to solve challenges alone.
Supportive services should respond to barriers participants identify. Establish how an apprentice can learn what is available, who can refer them, and how to ask for help. Do not assume every apprentice needs the same service or present a particular support as a guaranteed fix.
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Use feedback to identify friction points
Invite apprentices to describe their experience at more than one point in training, and provide a clear route for raising concerns. Look for patterns in when participants leave or fall behind and ask what conditions preceded the change. Use those findings to adjust orientation, mentoring, referral processes, or other supports. Monitor whether apprentices use an offered support; availability alone does not show that it is accessible or useful.
How do program models differ?
Direct entry and pre-apprenticeship bridges are not the only design choices. Programs may be organized around one sponsor or around multiple employers and partners. Union and nonunion arrangements also vary by locality. DOL materials describe different partnership and pathway types but do not rank one as universally best.
| Program choice | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Sponsor-specific route | How closely preparation and application steps match one sponsor’s requirements, intake dates, and available openings. |
| Multi-employer partnership | Which employers and sponsors participate, how referrals reach them, and whether participants can see the available routes. |
| Union or nonunion context | Which local sponsors and employers offer the relevant apprenticeship, their current intake process, and how training connects to work. |
In either model, ask who provides and pays for preparation and supportive services; how clearly a participant progresses from outreach to application and placement; the program’s geographic reach; and which access, retention, and employment outcomes it can report. A partnership list is not proof that a graduate has a current place in a registered apprenticeship. Confirm the relationship and the actual referral process before making a commitment to candidates.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should a program measure from outreach to employment?
Use consistent definitions and follow participant cohorts over time. A dashboard should distinguish stages so a program can tell whether it is reaching people, helping them enter, supporting persistence, or connecting graduates to work.
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- Application: how many people applied and how many met the stated eligibility requirements.
- Entry: who began a pre-apprenticeship or registered apprenticeship, recorded separately.
- Transition: how many pre-apprenticeship participants applied to and entered registered apprenticeship.
- Persistence: who remained enrolled at defined checkpoints and who left before completion.
- Completion and credentials: who completed and what credentials or measurable skill gains were recorded.
- Employment: who was employed after exit and, where valid data are available, earnings.
Report both counts and rates with their cohort, dates, and definitions. For instance, “entered apprenticeship” should mean the same thing in every reporting period, and a completion rate should identify which group of entrants and timeframe it covers. Disaggregate results by relevant participant groups where data and privacy practices allow; otherwise an overall rate may hide who is encountering barriers.
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DOL’s performance indicators include employment in the second and fourth quarters after exit, median earnings, credential attainment, and measurable skill gains. Its grant report also describes limits on collecting employment and wage information. Treat missing wage-match or employment data as a measurement limitation, not evidence that participants were or were not employed.
What do the available figures say—and not say?
On April 11, 2024, DOL reported that women comprised nearly half of the U.S. labor force but about 14% of all registered apprenticeships. That is a dated national figure covering all registered apprenticeships, not construction alone and not an estimate of the 2026 share. Use it only with that scope and date.
A DOL WANTO knowledge report, citing Kelly, Wilkinson, and Nuñez’s 2019 Oregon evaluation, reports that 22% of white women apprentices and 32% of women of color apprentices entered construction through a pre-apprenticeship. Those figures are tied to the Oregon program and cited evaluation; they are not national rates or a promise that pre-apprenticeship will produce the same result elsewhere.
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How can a local organization put the design into practice?
- Define the scope. Specify the geography, construction occupations, employers, sponsors, and comparison population the program will cover.
- Build a local baseline. Record representation and participation by pathway stage, with the source population and year attached to each comparison.
- Locate the break in the pathway. Determine whether the main gap is in awareness, applications, selection, preparation, entry, persistence, completion, or employment.
- Assign partner responsibilities. Identify who owns outreach, screening, readiness instruction, sponsor referrals, application support, workplace orientation, and follow-up.
- Verify the route into registered apprenticeship. Confirm local sponsors, prerequisites, current intake windows, progression criteria, and any actual placement arrangements before describing a bridge to candidates.
- Plan workplace and retention support. Involve employers, unions where relevant, and workers in orientations; ask apprentices about barriers and connect them with locally appropriate support.
- Track a cohort through employment. Use consistent definitions for outreach, application, entry, transition, persistence, completion, credentials, employment, and earnings where available.
- Review results with partners and apprentices. Use stage-by-stage findings and participant feedback to improve the specific handoff or support that is not working.
Where can employers find current local pathways?
Start with the relevant state apprenticeship agency, local workforce agencies, construction apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and community or education partners. Ask each contact whether the program is currently accepting applicants, which trades and locations it serves, what eligibility and selection rules apply, and whether a pre-apprenticeship referral has a current sponsor connection. Availability is local and may change.
DOL’s FY24 WANTO funding opportunity closed June 10, 2024; its announcement and grant materials describe the program’s purpose and funded service types, not whether a local grantee is currently enrolling participants. The DOL Employment and Training Administration’s June 10, 2025 report describes the TradesFutures construction initiative as active, but the outcome information in that report reflects participant status as of June 30, 2024 and did not then report exit-based employment and earnings outcomes. Check current DOL and state or local listings and confirm local cohorts, eligibility, and sponsor relationships before referring candidates.
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