Registered apprenticeship programs are a proven solution for helping employers meet their talent needs and workers gain the skills to access high-quality career pathways. Though the number of apprentices in the workforce has nearly doubled in the past decade, apprentices still represent only 0.32 percent of the active civilian labor force.
Research shows that small and medium-sized businesses (those with less than 100 employees, or between 100 and 499 employees, respectively) experience the greatest return on investment from apprenticeships. But compared to large companies, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face added challenges in attracting and retaining talent and registering apprenticeships.
From 2023 to 2026, Urban Institute partnered with Apprenticeship NC and Apprenticeship Carolina to test and learn what supports SMBs need to develop tech apprenticeships programs.
The Small and Medium Business Tech Apprenticeship project worked with businesses in North and South Carolina to build and expand registered tech apprenticeships programs designed to meet their IT talent needs. Ultimately, we helped 15 employers connect more than 270 individuals to upwardly mobile tech careers.
Through this project, we
- conducted outreach and employer engagement across the Carolinas to help SMBs understand the potential benefits of registered apprenticeship programs;
- distributed financial incentives to aid SMBs in starting and expanding their programs;
- provided employers guidance and support to design, register, and implement tech apprenticeship programs;
- helped launch a regional SMB tech apprenticeship initiative that attracts and retains underserved populations to meaningful tech careers; and
- created resources for employers, states, intermediaries, and apprentices on lessons learned during the project
In the News
Google money, community colleges partner to pay and train apprentices in tech
WRAL TechWire – September 25, 2023
Tech apprenticeship discussion with Urban Institute and Cloud for Good
ApprenticeshipNC Podcast – October 1, 2023
