Registered Apprenticeship Programs offer one way to increase the pipeline of qualified new early care and education (ECE) educators and to build the credentials of the current ECE workforce. This brief presents analyses of the 2023 Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database System (RAPIDS) data describing the characteristics of apprentices in the ECE Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

Why This Matters

A stable ECE workforce is critical to making ECE accessible to families who need it, thereby enabling them to work. Furthermore, ECE educators need credentials that reflect their ability to optimally support children’s growth and development. However, the ECE workforce continues to face challenges, including barriers to obtaining credentials, high rates of turnover, and low wages. Registered Apprenticeships Programs, which combine structured on-the-job training with job-related coursework, offer one promising approach to providing prospective and current ECE educators with needed training and credentials.

We examined the characteristics of ECE apprentices. Policymakers, administrators, and practitioners can use this evidence to inform the design and implementation of Registered Apprenticeship Programs, so that educators most in need of training and credentials can better access them.

What We Found

• About one-third of educators in the 2023 RAPIDS database are actively pursuing an apprenticeship, while about 40 percent are inactive and about 29 percent have completed an apprenticeship.
• Although RAPIDS data are not nationally representative, Registered Apprenticeship Programs appear to be attracting younger members of the ECE workforce that have lower levels of education. For example, 76 percent of apprentices in the sample have a high school diploma or lower level of education, and 36 percent are under age 25.
• Given the importance of creating a pipeline for the ECE workforce, apprenticeships could be a promising approach for engaging younger educators. Yet the slightly higher rates of younger inactive apprentices (39 percent)—compared with active apprentices (35 percent) and those who have completed apprenticeships (34 percent)—suggest more could be done to retain them.
• Average wages among educators who have completed ECE Registered Apprenticeship Programs are higher than those among active apprentices, suggesting these programs support wage progression. However, data describing individual changes in wages and educational attainment over time are needed.

How We Did It

We analyzed data from the 2023 RAPIDS database, which includes information on the characteristics of 4,265 ECE registered apprentices. We identified occupation titles relevant to the ECE field and filtered the data to create a sample of apprentices. We then performed descriptive statistical analyses to answer questions about the frequency and average characteristics of the apprentices in the RAPIDS database.