Your Apprenticeship Consultant is Here to Help

Thinking about starting a registered apprenticeship can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Our team of apprenticeship consultants is here to help you from beginning to end. Whether you have noticed a skills gap, have problems with retention, or your baby boomers are retiring, the apprenticeship consultant will listen and make recommendations.

“ApprenticeshipNC is the State Apprenticeship Agency,” says Dale Yarborough, ApprenticeshipNC field supervisor. “We work with employers, register programs, register apprentices, and even share possible funding sources to cover training costs. The regional consultants are ready and able to sit down with employers – either in-person or virtually – and talk through their training needs.”

The deep conversation will cover current and future needs, the types of occupations that might be appropriate for apprenticeship, and what the employer’s current training program (if any) looks like. They will also discuss the components of a potential apprenticeship program, from work-based learning, to education, to the wages earned.

Following is a high-level overview of the process:

1. The employer reaches out to ApprenticeshipNC to express interest in starting a program and sets an appointment. (Go to the contact page on our website and enter the county your business is in to connect with your consultant.)
2. The consultant will conduct research on the company to get some background information prior to the meeting.
3. If the employer is just educating themselves about apprenticeship, the consultant will answer questions and provide basic information.
4. If the employer is ready to move forward, the consultant will collect the existing job description, training outlines, instructional materials (if any), and details of the wage scale currently in place. [In certain cases, the consultant may connect the employer with their local community college to determine how they can help with related instruction.]
5. The employer information is put into ApprenticeshipNC’s database system for tracking and follow-up.
6. Once all data is received, the consultant develops the program package, to include work-based learning and education requirements, as well as a progressive wage scale for the role. The work-based learning may be time-based, competency based, or a hybrid model with some elements of time and proven skill.
7. The program package is sent to the employer and a follow-up meeting is scheduled. If no changes are made, then the employer signs the paperwork, and it is sent to the ApprenticeshipNC director or supervisor for approval.
8. Upon program approval, the employer may enroll current employees or new hires into the program.

At this point, the registered apprenticeship program will be in a provisional status for the first year. The consultant will remain available to answer questions and ensure things run smoothly. At the end of the year, the consultant will complete a review of the program to ensure the apprentice is receiving the planned training, their mentor is working out, and the records are in place. On passing the review, the employer’s program will move from provisional to permanent status. If, for some reason, no training has taken place in the first year, the employer will be given an additional three to six months to register an apprentice in their program. If the program is still not active, the sponsor of the program will be contacted to discuss the cancellation of the program. When ready to hire and train an apprentice, the employer may come back and ask for the program to be reinstated.

“We want employers to know that while starting a program does take some commitment, our apprenticeship consultants are here to take on much of the burden,” adds Yarborough. “We want to build a program that works for your business; you are the subject matter expert of this occupation. We look forward to hearing from you.”