Resource Library

In 2019, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration  (ETA) to fund contractors Urban Institute, Mathematica Policy Research, and Capital Research Corporation to design and conduct analysis to build and expand the evidence portfolio on apprenticeships, including models, components, partnerships, and strategies that often include the work of community colleges. 

In 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with Employment and Training Administrative (ETA) Office of Apprenticeship (OA) to fund contractor Manhattan Strategy Group through the 

In 2019, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration to fund the Urban Institute and its partners, Mathematica Policy Research and Capital Research Corporation to conduct the Evaluation of the Scaling Apprenticeship and Closing the Skills Gap Grant Programs under the Apprenticeship Evidence-Building Portfolio, which aimed to expand apprenticeships in non-traditional industries, such as health care, information tech

The DOL Chief Evaluation Office commissioned the Urban Institute and partners Mathematica and Capital Research Corporation to conduct an evaluation of the Scaling Apprenticeship and Closing the Skills Gap grant program implementation. The implementation study includes 48 grantees: 23 Scaling Apprenticeship and 25 Closing the Skills Gap grantees.

This paper addresses a paucity of information about the economic returns employers receive from Registered Apprenticeships. It reviews evidence of empirical estimates of the return on investment (ROI) of Registered Apprenticeships to employers (mainly in the United States, but also with international data from developed countries where employers may invest in apprenticeships).

Registered apprenticeship (RA) data and statistics, such as data on apprentice retention, demographics, wages, and credential attainment, can be used for reporting purposes, ongoing program monitoring and improvement efforts, and assessing apprenticeship expansion strategies. The purpose of this brief is to describe the current state approaches to apprenticeship data collection, identify promising practices and opportunity areas to improve data systems, and share ideas to support apprenticeship expansion.

Employers are an indispensable part of registered apprenticeship (RA) programs. Because they hire and train apprentices on the job and sponsor apprenticeship programs, state efforts to expand apprenticeship depend on outreach to and recruitment of employers. This brief describes seven states’ efforts to expand the number of employers engaging in apprenticeship programs.

Registered apprenticeship provides an opportunity to help strengthen rural workforce development and labor markets by training the rural workforce for local industry needs. This brief describes approaches to promoting rural apprenticeship expansion based on discussion with state apprenticeship administrators, local apprenticeship partners, and employers in seven states.

This report describes the design for the implementation evaluation of the Scaling Apprenticeship through Sector-Based Strategies grants (referred to throughout the report as Scaling Apprenticeship grants) and the Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap grants (referred to throughout the report as Closing the Skills Gap grants).

The Apprenticeship Evidence-Building Portfolio Evaluation Design Pre-Specification Plan follows the template that evaluators must use to meet the pre-specification practices articulated in OMB Memo M-20-12 Phase 4 Implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018: Program Evaluation Standards and Practices.