Registered Apprenticeships are drawing renewed federal attention, with bipartisan backing and an aim to expand the model to surpass 1 million apprentices nationwide.

Jessica Desmond, Regional Director of Career Services and Apprenticeships at ECPI University, joined host Dr. Jason Altmire on the Career Education Report to break down what it takes to build one that works. The podcast is produced by Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), a national association representing career-focused postsecondary schools, and features discussions with leaders about policy, business, and workforce issues in the field.

Listen to the podcast for the full conversation on apprenticeship duration, funding, curriculum design, and how schools find employer partners.

What makes a Registered Apprenticeship work for employers?

A Registered Apprenticeship works when it fits the employer. It pairs paid on-the-job training with related classroom instruction, shaped around the skills a specific company needs. The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes the formal version, which sets a consistent standard for both the work and the education.

Many people associate apprenticeships with the skilled trades, but Registered Apprenticeships reach well beyond them. More than 1,000 occupations now qualify, including advanced manufacturing, IT, cybersecurity, software development, and logistics.

Registered Apprenticeships require at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and 144 hours of related technical instruction per apprenticeship year. Within those limits, employers can control the curriculum, the start date, and the pace. Still, enduring myths about apprenticeships keep many from starting.

"It's actually a lot easier to create a Registered Apprenticeship," Desmond says. "There are less hoops than a lot of employers think there are."

How does ECPI University help employers build apprenticeship programs?

ECPI University treats Registered Apprenticeships as a workforce development strategy and works directly with employers to design programs around their specific roles and hiring needs. Five-week terms let companies start new cohorts year-round, and industry-guided curricula map classes to the work apprentices will actually perform.

The success of the approach is seen in long-running partnerships with employers like Volvo Cars USA in Charleston, South Carolina, and Busch Group USA in advanced manufacturing and skilled trades. These programs give companies a reliable way to grow their own talent in a way that targets the skills they need.

Employers exploring Registered Apprenticeships can partner with ECPI University to build a program around their workforce needs.