The ultimate goal of workforce development is ensuring there are as many qualified workers as positions needed.

One of the best ways to help achieve that goal is through registered apprenticeships. Georgia WorkSmart was created out of a desire from the private sector to have more apprenticeship programs and other work-based learning models.

Justin Haight is the program manager at Georgia WorkSmart, which he said has three main goals.

The first goal is general outreach and promotion of registered apprenticeship programs and work-based learning models.

The second is to encourage local workforce areas to utilize Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds to support apprenticeship programs.

The third role is to work with other partner agencies, whether that is state or local economic developers, educational institutions, or pubic entities. All of this has the main goal of expanding registered apprenticeship opportunities.

What is a registered apprenticeship you ask? Let Haight explain.

“Registered apprenticeship is a combination of two training models combined under one program,” Haight said. “You have an on-the-job learning piece, where the apprentice is learning with a mentor on the job. And you combine that with a classroom-style training program called the related technical instruction, or RTI.”

A registered apprenticeship is completely employer driven. The employer makes all of the decisions in these programs. By embracing an apprenticeship program, business itself actually creates the program, Haight told me. They choose how the individual is taught, what they are taught, and everything in between.

Haight said most apprenticeships last somewhere between 2-4 years, though others can last closer to six years. This is not a short-term fix, and Haight said one thing all businesses should ask before looking into apprenticeships is whether or not they’re in it for the long haul.

If they are, apprenticeships can help create a pipeline of skilled labor for businesses of all sizes. What do we always hear businesses lament when it comes to hiring? That skilled labor is sparse. Well, apprenticeships allow businesses to ensure their labor force has the competency they need to be successful.

“A lot of these jobs are highly technical and they require a lot of training in order for an individual to be successful on the job,” Haight said. “So businesses are trying to find a lot of new and innovative training models that can fit their particular training needs and are robust enough to accurate provide that training. We think apprenticeships are an obvious answer to that solution.”

Now, there are some things to know about registered apprenticeships before jumping in.

Every state is either federally or state run, and Georgia is federally run. That means the U.S. Department of Labor has an office of apprenticeship state director here in Georgia.

It is ultimately their role to create, approve, and monitor all programs operating within the state.

WorkSmart is a partner to apprenticeship programs. So its goal is to ensure it’s adding value and creating sustainability to the programs that are currently in operation in Georgia or the ones that are being created in the near future.

On way Georgia adds value is by pioneering a particular apprenticeship model that it’s found to be very successful. With the classroom portion of the training, Georgia WorkSmart has been working to approve most of its technical colleges in Georgia to act as the sponsor on behalf of a business to run an apprenticeship program.

“This means the college will take on some of the administrative burden so the business can operate on a day-to-day basis and allow the college to handle a lot of the data collection and a lot of the paperwork,” Haight said. “We have found this to be very attractive and beneficial to these small and medium sized businesses in Georgia.”

Employers who train apprentices are investing in their business’s workforce future and it allows a business to create a customized training program that leads to a workforce that is fully proficient and trained to their specific needs.

It’s proven to reduce worker turnover, too, as it fosters loyalty and increases productivity while improving the bottom line for a business.

“On the flip side the individual is gaining a lot out of these programs because they’re getting increased wages and skills while obtaining industry recognized credentials and depending on how we build the programs they also could be getting college credits they get to use towards their career for the rest of their life,” said Haight.

“So apprenticeships are a win-win for everyone involved and that’s why we feel so strongly about them.”

If you or someone you know is interested in registered apprenticeships in Georgia, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s apprenticeship site to learn more information. If you want to speak with Haight and someone from WorkSmart Georgia, he can be reached at jhaight@georgia.org or by calling 404-962-4191.