Leadership and Staff Diversity

To make progress on DEIA efforts, an employer’s culture should value diversity, equity, inclusion, and access across all levels of staffing and leadership. Hiring employees from diverse backgrounds, building leadership teams that reflect the community, providing equitable access to advancement for every employee, and investing capacity and resources into building DEIA practices and training supports the long-term organizational success of a wide range of apprentices.

The range of tactics below can help create inclusive and diverse workplace cultures:

• Evaluate hiring practices regularly to ensure they are accessible and inclusive of diverse populations, including by reviewing your outreach practices, job requirements, and evaluation practices (diverse forms assessment).

• Assess staff members’ skills using multiple tactics, including work samples and panel interviews.

• Evaluate existing job requirements, such as prior years of work experience and credentials or degrees, and remove them if they create unnecessary barriers to entry.

• Support ongoing talent development by providing mentorship, individualized career plans, personalized skill building and training, and access to professional development and educational opportunities.

• Implement comprehensive family medical leave and parental leave policies to drive equity and access to work and advancement opportunities for all employees, including by taking action to provide apprentices and employees access to reproductive health care, such as abortion access.

• Provide regular career exploration and navigation opportunities to all employees to help them understand and access the career pathways available to them inside and outside of the organization.

• Create a culture of belonging through affinity groups and regular solicitation and use of employee feedback in the design of policies, practices, and workplace culture.

• Evaluate diversity at every level of the organization, including the board of directors, and take actionable steps to increase diversity and representation.

• Find more resources here

  Race Matters: Organizational Self-Assessment

  Annie E. Casey Foundation
  This is a straightforward, two-page tool with nine questions related to staff competencies and 10 questions on organizational operations to yield a Racial Equity Score and recommended next steps.

   

  Washington Race Equity & Justice Initiative Organizational Assessment

  JustLead Washington
  This tool is part of a 120-page, comprehensive and very current Organizational Race Equity Toolkit.
  

   

  Constructing a Diverse Workforce: Examining Union and Non-Union Construction Apprenticeship Programs and their Outcomes for Women and Workers of Color

  University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center 

  This report compares differences in union and non-union programs, including differences in completion rates across gender and racial/ethnic lines. The report finds that union apprenticeships reduce inequities in Oregon’s construction industry.  

Provide Livable Wages and Advancement Opportunities

Providing livable, market-rate wages is an essential equity practice in apprenticeship. While the RA system has made progress on its demographic diversity, apprentices continue to face different wage outcomes by race and gender. Apprenticeship sponsors can change this by connecting more people to the highest-wage opportunities within the RA system. Providing apprentices with advancement support will also help narrow long-term wage gaps.

Below are tactics and design considerations for driving wage equity and advancement for all apprentices:

• Provide competitive, market-rate, livable wages that consider cost-of-living adjustments—for occupations with historically low wages, programs should offer a $15-per-hour starting wage.

• Be transparent about starting and ending wages by adhering to RA guidelines and clearly articulating wage progressions, including how they are determined and when they are provided. 

• Provide information to apprentices to help them understand the career pathways and advancement opportunities supported by their RA training.

• Use RA training to expand pathways to mid- and senior-level positions by providing longer-term RA training or a series of stackable apprenticeships.

• Offer multiple industry-recognized credentials that align with labor market demand to increase access to advancement opportunities and occupational pathways.

• Support college credit attainment by collaborating with postsecondary partners.

• Ensure apprentices’ work and contributions are valued and respected and meaningfully contribute to the organization’s goals.

Partnership consideration: Identify training partners (e.g., community-based organizations, community colleges, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to provide college credit and degree-level credentials. Collaborate with workforce partners to identify credentials for inclusion in RA training.

• Find more resources here

  The Apprenticeship Wage and Participation Gap

  Center for American Progress
  This issue brief analyzes participation in apprenticeship programs with a specific focus on participation and wages along race and gender lines. Its findings highlight the inequities in apprenticeship and offer recommendations for how to address them.

   

  Good Jobs Principles

  U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Labor
  This resource offers guidance and definition for good jobs. It outlines eight principles for a good job and creates a framework that can drive a shared vision for good jobs across stakeholders within the workforce system.
  
  

Incorporate Participant Voice Authentically and Build Cultures of Belonging

Work and training environments that reflect and support participants’ diverse needs and experiences can drive DEIA in RA. RA programs are intensive, and completion is a challenge across all demographic groups. When organizations consistently and authentically incorporate apprentice feedback into program design and create a sense of belonging, apprentices feel more invested in, connected to, and supported by their training, which can help improve persistence and completion.

The following are some strategies for building these affirming environments:

• Incorporate apprentice voice intentionally and clearly into your program design through apprentice advisory groups, surveys of participants, regular check-ins in which they can offer feedback on their experiences, and engagement with alumni.

• Provide regular opportunities for apprentices to reflect on their training, including the skills they are building, the aspects of the work they are most interested in, and how this connects to their long-term career goals.

• Build inclusive and supportive learning and work environments by incorporating practices and policies that acknowledge that apprentices carry life experiences outside of their training that may affect how they can show up and engage (healing-informed approach).

• Provide accommodations and design work environments to fully meet the needs of all physical abilities, empowering apprentices and prioritizing safety.

• Affirm race, ethnicity, gender, and ability as assets within apprentices; design programs in ways that use these assets and build on these strengths.

• Eliminate any form of discrimination or sexual harassment and make clear that such conduct is not acceptable by any in the organization, including leadership. 

• Create learning environments representative of apprentices and their lived experiences by using materials reflective of apprentices, modeling expectations, and engaging in instructional practices representative of apprentices’ cultures (cultural humility).

Partnership consideration: Engage partners that have expertise in curriculum design, healing-centered practices, inclusive instruction, and DEIA. They can provide training, revise curricula, and support the design of classroom and training environments.

• Find more resources here

  The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement

  Shawn Ginwright
  This article provides information on the concept of trauma-informed care, including what it is, what it isn’t, and how to effectively leverage it as a strategy to engage and support individuals in programming. It also offers context for how this approach to program design can support efforts to build environments that are culturally humble, reflective and inclusive of participant identity and experience, and supportive of individual needs.

   

  Equity From the Frontline: Worker Voice Leads to a Network of Accessible Apprenticeship Pathways

  Equity In Apprenticeship
  This case study looks at examples of how apprenticeship programs have authentically and intentionally included worker voices in their program design. Through examples from programs in the field, it highlights the value and impact of including worker voice in program design and includes examples of how programs were able to successfully do this.

   

  Engaging Apprentice Voice: A Strategy for Promoting More Equitable Programs for Youth

  Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship and National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
  This resource includes guidance on how to include youth voice in apprenticeship design. The tactics and examples within can be applied to all RA program participants and offer promising strategies for ensuring that participant voice informs program design and implementation.
  
  
  
  
  

Invest in Equitable Data Practices to Inform Program Design

Data collection is critical for continuous program improvement and allows program sponsors to evaluate the impact of DEIA efforts. RA program demographic data demonstrate the effectiveness of new recruitment practices and point to opportunities for improvement. Tracking retention and completion rates as well as wages can provide further insights into the need to create better support services or a more inclusive work environment. Additionally, post-apprenticeship advancement data can help identify whether RA programs set up apprentices for long-term career success with an employer. The collective patterns that emerge from these metrics can support holistic decision-making to enhance program outcomes.

The following are some tactics to help build a foundation for effective data-driven decision-making:

• Identify processes and metrics to track DEIA impact and progress, and invest in staff members to manage data collection and analysis.

• Conduct analysis of industry trends, local demographics, wages, and educational barriers to ensure equitable practices at all levels of the apprenticeship lifecycle. 

• Utilize data to understand how the organization, and its apprenticeship program, reflects the diversity of the community it serves, to identify gaps and opportunities for enhancing efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce.

• Ensure that data is open and accessible, to allow individual access to data formatted in an understandable and usable way, including by clearly defining data fields and metadata.

• Recognize the sensitivity and concerns some individuals may have regarding data collection by being transparent with apprentices about your data practices, including what data you will gather and why and changes in outcomes year by year.

• Ensure apprentices understand the difference between self-identification and self-disclosure of their disability status.

• Keep self-identification surveys separate from employee information such as wage scales and benefits, and inform participants of this process.

Partnership consideration: Partner with entities that can expand access to DEIA data to help empower apprenticeship stakeholders, policymakers, and decision makers to act. This could also include partnering with organizations that can help with data collection and analysis, determining methodology, and creating processes and training materials.

• Find more resources here

  Disability Self-Identification: A Guide for Apprenticeship Sponsors

  U.S. Department of Labor
  This sheet provides guidance on what sponsors need to know about asking apprentices to self-identify as an individual with a disability.

   

  A Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration

  Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
  This resource describes both positive and problematic practices for centering racial equity across the six stages of the data lifecycle.
  
  
  

Use Transparent and Accessible Practices to Diversify Recruitment

The first interaction apprentices will have with an apprenticeship program will occur during outreach and recruitment. To ensure that programs are equitable, inclusive, and accessible, outreach practices and materials should be shared with a range of communities and in ways that allow for different forms of engagement and interaction.

The following tactics can help programs engage with and recruit a wide range of jobseekers from various backgrounds and experiences:

• Find candidates from different backgrounds by reaching out to and engaging with a range of community, workforce, and education partners.

• Ensure that recruitment materials are accessible and include images and language that can speak to a wide audience.

• Ensure that staff members who are responsible for recruitment reflect the diversity of the community.

• Remove questions about conviction records as part of the application process, except in cases where it is required by specific job eligibility criteria (ban the box).

• Clearly convey entry and success requirements. Offer support to help participants meet any prerequisites, and ensure that the referral, intake, and orientation processes are accessible.

• Ensure all learners can access assessments or pre-work required for program entry by providing accessible materials, offering different ways for participants to demonstrate knowledge, and providing testing accommodations (accessibility).

• Provide on-ramps to apprenticeship, including pre-apprenticeship and other training opportunities, to increase access to training for more workers.

• Solicit feedback from participants on the entry experience, and incorporate their perspectives and feedback to improve practices.

Partnership consideration: Strategic partnerships can drive diversity in recruitment. Consider building relationships with local or regional community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, local workforce boards, Minority Serving Institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, vocational rehabilitation services, K-12 schools, and reentry organizations.

• Find more resources here

  High-Quality Framework for Pre-Apprenticeship for Opportunity Youth: Transparent Entry and Success Requirements

  JFF
  This resource offers recommendations for ensuring that entry and success requirements for training are transparent to potential participants. These tactics can be applied to RA models as well, helping to ensure that individuals are set up for success prior to entering the program.

   

  Designing Inclusive Apprenticeships Guide: Phase 1 Recruiting Talent With Disabilities

  Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship
  This resource offers additional examples and tactics for developing inclusive RA programs. It highlights important practices for fostering inclusion through recruitment and for engaging individuals with disabilities in training opportunities.
  
  
  

   

Design Training and Classroom Instruction to be Accessible and Representative of Participants

Equitable apprenticeships not only get people from a wide range of backgrounds in the door, but they also set up each apprentice for success throughout the program and beyond. To achieve this and ensure all participants can benefit, programs must design training and classroom instruction to be accessible to everyone regardless of learning needs or preferences or physical ability. It is equally important that on-the-job training and classroom environments and instruction represent program participants.

The following tactics support accessible and inclusive training and instruction:

• Establish a clear training plan that details the knowledge and skills the apprentice will learn on the job to become fully competent.  

• Ensure that classroom and on-the-job instruction are accessible to all participants, including by offering materials in multiple languages and providing apprentices with a range of ways to demonstrate knowledge gains (universal design for learning).

• Integrate learning strategies that help participants understand how the skills they are developing relate to the work they will be doing on the job and provide opportunities for active learning, problem-based learning, and reflection (contextualized learning).

• Empower learners by supporting individual agency, providing opportunities for peer teaching, offering autonomous learning options, and recognizing the apprentices’ contributions to the organizational environment.

• Follow Americans With Disabilities Act guidelines and design work environments to be accessible to all physical abilities, in part by providing adaptive tools and equipment and proper accommodation to participants as needed (accessibility).

• Ensure adequate information is shared with apprentices, employers, and intermediaries regarding ADA rights and compliance, as well as resources regarding workplace accommodations.

Partnership consideration: Identify and develop partnerships with entities such as vocational rehabilitation partners, educational providers, and community-based organizations that can help design and provide accessible training and accommodations or can support the purchase of adaptive tools and accessible program materials.

• Find more resources here

  About Universal Design for Learning and Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

  CAST
  These resources provide information about universal design for learning, an important human-centered approach to training and classroom instruction that promotes inclusion and accessibility. They highlight important guidance for implementing UDL practices and offer actionable examples of how to integrate this approach into programming.

   

  Promising Approaches for Connecting Opportunity Youth to Registered Apprenticeships: Inclusive Program Design

  JFF
  This resource draws on promising practices from the field and offers examples of how to promote inclusion and access when creating RA programs.

   

  Incorporating Universal Design and Accessibility Into Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship

  Social Policy Research Associates
  This training, developed through the U.S. DOL’s Apprenticeship Inclusion Models initiative, looks at strategies for embedding universal design for learning and accessibility practices into the RA model. Experts from CAST, National Partnerships in Equity, and the Kentucky Office of Career and Technical Education offer recommendations to help apprenticeship practitioners leverage these practices to support inclusion and access in their programs.
  
  
  

Provide Comprehensive and Quality Mentorship to Participants

Mentorship in Registered Apprenticeship helps participants learn the details of their occupation and workplace while providing coaching and guidance to support them in their training. Mentors can expose participants to advancement opportunities, foster career exploration, and create a culture of inclusion.

The following mentorship program design strategies enable all participants to thrive and succeed:

• Recruit and engage mentors with backgrounds representative of the community and the program’s participants. 

• Establish goals and a clear purpose for the mentorship program in partnership with mentors and apprentices.

• Provide training to mentors to help them support apprentices from different backgrounds. This could include training on DEIA, how to center and empower apprentices, and how to deliver culturally relevant and accessible learning and training. 

• Support accessibility by offering multiple ways for mentors and mentees to connect, such as in person, virtually, or in group settings.

• Ensure that mentors have mechanisms to continue supporting apprentices after they have completed the program.

Partnership consideration: Find partners to support mentor training. This can include engaging partners to deliver training, develop or offer resources, or provide funding to support mentorship programs. This can also include networking with other programs to help provide racial- and gender-conscious mentoring online or in person.

• Find more resources here

  Mentoring Matters: The Role of Mentoring in Registered Apprenticeship Programs for Youth

  Urban Institute
  This webinar explores the importance and value of mentoring within apprenticeship. Featured speakers share examples of how to provide quality mentorship and discuss challenges and promising practices for implementing mentor models.

   

  Mentorship Training Program

  Healthcare Career Advancement Program
  This mentor training program offers guidance on how to effectively design and implement a mentorship program within the context of apprenticeship

   

  Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™

  Mentor
  This publication outlines effective practice and promising approaches for mentoring, including six evidence-based standards for mentorship and a set of recommendations for program design.

Support Participant Success With Robust and Responsive Retention Services

Apprentices will not fully access the value and opportunity of an apprenticeship unless they can complete their training. Employers, RA sponsors, and those designing programs should invest in removing barriers to completion to ensure all apprentices can successfully complete.

The following are tactics for designing programs that help all apprentices fully engage with their training and support completion:

• Meet regularly with apprentices to discuss their needs, and work with them to develop individualized plans and make connections to services and partners as needed.
• Remove financial barriers to participation by covering the costs of uniforms, training materials, testing fees, equipment, and other costs.
• Provide services and support through partnerships and robust referral networks that can help provide resources such as transportation, housing, food access, and mental health services. 
• Use public workforce funding, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training and Workforce Investment Opportunity Act dollars, to increase access to training and expand services and supports for apprentices.
• Connect apprentices to navigators and mentors who can help them access services and troubleshoot challenges during training. This could include providing technical or employability skill building, wraparound services, and assistance in navigating the workplace.
• Introduce apprentices to employers, community partners, and other stakeholders to build their professional networks (social capital).

Partnership consideration: Collaborate with community-based organizations, service agencies, workforce and education partners, and others to identify resources to support apprentices. Work with partners to determine which organization is best positioned to provide resources, and employ apprentice navigators and mentors to connect participants to needed services.

• Find more resources here

  High-Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Framework for Opportunity Youth: Offering of Academic, Career Exploration, and Wraparound Supports

  JFF
  This resource focuses on strategies for providing academic, career exploration, and wraparound supports to participants in pre-apprenticeship training. It features examples from the field and offers tactics that can be applied to the RA model.

   

  SNAP to Skills

  U.S. Department of Agriculture
  This resource provides an overview of how SNAP Employment and Training dollars can be used to support access to and participation in job training opportunities. It includes an overview of what funding can be used for and how funding can be accessed.
  
  

  Advancing Opportunities for Women through Apprenticeship

  Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor
  This resource describes strategies employed by four organizations to support women’s progress and success in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programming.