Data & Methods

In response to House Bill 718 (Filler-Corn)/Senate Bill 661 (Lucas), VOEE was directed to provide a report on the state of registered apprenticeship in Virginia. In approaching this task, VOEE developed a series of research questions to guide its inquiry. These are as follows:

1. How many workers have registered for apprenticeships in Virginia since 2019 (the first year for which comprehensive federal data are available)?

■ How many apprentices are currently active?

■ How many workers completed apprenticeships during this time-frame?

2. Which industries (categorized by the North American Industry Classification System, or NAICS) sponsor the most aligned apprenticeship programs in Virginia?

3. Which occupations (characterized by the Occupational Information Network, Standard Occupational Classification, or O*NET SOC) have the most new and active apprentices? Which occupations have the most completions?

4. Which employers/organizations are the top sponsors of apprenticeships in Virginia?

5. How are apprenticeship completions distributed geographically among Local Workforce Development Areas (LWDAs)?

6. What are the demographics for apprentices in terms of gender, race, age, and educational attainment?

7. What percent of registered apprenticeship programs are classified as youth apprenticeships?

8. What percent of registered apprentices are veterans?

To address these questions, VOEE utilized the U.S. DOL Employment and Training Administration’s public use files on registered apprenticeships. Primary data collection for this dataset in Virginia is managed by DOLI. VOEE also met with DOLI’s Division of Registered Apprenticeship to better understand the structure of Virginia’s registered apprenticeship programs and how apprenticeship data are collected and reported.

Limitations

This report is based on publicly available data on registered apprenticeships from the U.S. DOL’s RAPIDS dataset. This system does not fully reflect Virginia apprentices and apprenticeship programs until the third quarter of FY19 (April 2019). Unless a year is specified, the data in this report refers to federal Fiscal Year 2021 (October 1, 2020–September 30, 2021).

Additionally, the registered apprenticeships managed by DOLI and reported to the U.S. DOL’s Employment and Training Administration contains only data on apprenticeships that are registered within Virginia through DOLI. This means that the RAPIDS data analyzed in this report will not contain information on unregistered apprenticeship programs functioning at companies within the state or on apprenticeship programs registered either at the national level or registered within other states but functioning within Virginia. This reality means that the RAPIDS dataset analyzed in this report provides only a partial picture of how apprenticeship as a workforce development and work-based learning model is currently functioning in Virginia. It is important that readers understand this limitation when using this report’s analysis of RAPIDS data to interpret and make decisions regarding how apprenticeship exists within the Commonwealth.

Readers should also be cautious about their interpretation of time and completion of apprenticeships in the data. It is important to understand that registered apprenticeships vary in time and structure but typically take between one and six years. While the data contain a system-generated completion date for each apprentice, this date may not directly predict when the apprentice will complete their program and should not be interpreted as a goalpost. Time to completion can be impacted by a number of factors: first, the apprenticeship’s structure — whether it is competency-based or time-based. Further, the pace of apprenticeship is individualized, and apprentices progress at different rates. Apprenticeships can also participate part-time. Completion time can also be affected by pauses related to the needs of the employer or by a local, national, or global event (pandemic, natural disaster, etc.). Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that because apprenticeships are employer-led, the Commonwealth cannot change the pace at which they progress.

Much of the RAPIDS data examined for this report covers the pandemic period, and like many things related to schooling and work, participation in registered apprenticeship programs was greatly impacted during this time. This varied by company, industry, and occupation. On-the-job training stalled for many occupations, creating a pipeline of delays in apprenticeships and completions. During this time, DOLI provided registered apprenticeships with extensions of up to 12 months so that they could continue to completion.

Finally, there are data holes and challenges in the RAPIDS data. RAPIDS data are reported by apprentices and employers in a voluntary manner, so there are some data elements missing in some cases. Voluntary data points include Race/Ethnicity, Veteran Status, and Education. Some level of error in the data can also be expected.