Registered Apprenticeship

Why Start a Registered Apprenticeship program for Your Business?

Today, leading in any industry is fueled in part by effective recruitment, retention, and talent development strategies.

The Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is an employer-driven workforce strategy that includes structured training, mentorship and hands-on learning to grow and develop employee talent. By starting a Registered Apprenticeship Program, businesses can positively impact talent attraction efforts, minimize recruiting challenges and hire motivated, highly-trained workers.

This program is a cost-effective, sustainable solution for workforce deficits across industries and sectors. This includes sectors traditionally thought of when considering apprenticeships, including building and construction trades, in addition to non-traditional Registered Apprenticeship Programs in health care, information technology and education.

Establishing a Registered Apprenticeship Program is a process in which your business has access to support and guidance from the Arkansas Office of Skills Development. Hundreds of businesses, including Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Post Foods, Lockheed Martin, Simmons Bank and several school districts across the state are already taking advantage of the many benefits of utilizing Registered Apprentice Programs to address workforce needs.

This is not just a tool used to fill open positions; it is about cultivating appropriately-trained, highly-skilled, loyal employees who are equipped to address existing talent pipeline and succession-planning obstacles.

Fill out the form below to learn how to get your company involved in the Registered Apprenticeship Program.

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Benefits of Registered Apprenticeship Program for Arkansas Employers

Develop a workforce with the skills you need: The RAP helps Arkansas companies train their workforce to fit the specific needs, standards and values of their business. That can reduce the months of on-boarding and training usually required to get new hires up to speed.
Reduce recruitment costs: RAPs can help Arkansas companies in multiple sectors find, train and hire qualified, highly-motivated candidates. By the completion of a Registered Apprenticeship Program, companies have an employee who has made a personal investment in the success and culture of your business.
Improve employee retention: Registered Apprenticeship Programs help workers find their place at a company, making them feel more like a vital part of the team than any short-term internship ever could. Studies show around 94% of Registered Apprentices stay with their host company after completing the program.

Strengthen your brand: Participating in a Registered Apprenticeship Program demonstrates your company’s commitment to innovative workforce development and growing our shared economy, fostering good will and community engagement by providing more Arkansans with an accessible, low-cost path to achieve their career and income goals.
Access to funding: State and federal grants and tax incentives may be available to support and fund your company’s RAP efforts.
Visit this link to learn more about funding opportunities available through the Office of Skills Development.

Benefits of Registered Apprenticeship For Arkansas Workers

Earn while you learn: Registered Apprentices get paid while gaining valuable work experience and learning immersive, industry-specific skills.
Structured learning: Participants receive classroom instruction along with on-the-job training, ensuring a well-rounded and immediately job-applicable education.

A portable work credential: Upon completion of an RAP, participants earn a nationally-recognized credential that can improve their resume and lifelong employment opportunities.
Expanded career opportunities: Registered Apprenticeship Programs help participants break into high-paying industries while building connections and job-ready experience at great Arkansas companies.

How Can Arkansas Companies Participate in Registered Apprenticeship Programs?

The Arkansas Office of Skills Development (OSD) has long been a champion of the Registered Apprenticeship Program model.

Our organization provides free, comprehensive, easy-to-understand support for businesses looking to launch their own Registered Apprentice efforts. From navigating the requirements involved in setting up a program to accessing financial incentives, the OSD is here to guide Arkansas businesses every step of the way.

By fostering a robust ecosystem of corporate and non-profit partners in Arkansas and promoting the opportunities of RAP through various channels, the OSD helps ensure Arkansas businesses can easily connect with both qualified candidates and subject matter experts. That can make launching a successful Registered Apprenticeship Program much smoother and more beneficial to your company’s workforce needs.

Join the ranks of forward-thinking companies that are shaping the future of our economy through Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Arkansas. Contact us today, and let the Arkansas Office of Skills Development be your partner in this transformative journey. Together, we can build a brighter and more prosperous future for your business and all Arkansans.

Russell attended National Park Technology Center (NPC) while still in high school. After graduation, Russell was awarded NPC’s Promise Scholarship to continue his education. According to Russell, “From NPC, I took with me determination and a strong work ethic. NPC prepared me to succeed at a four-year university.”

Russell is continuing his education at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith’s (UAFS) Department of Criminal Justice. He was recently presented with an Academic Excellence Award for his hard work at UAFS. He credits NPC for his continued success, “I would like to thank the Criminal Justice faculty at NPC for all that they have done and all that they continue to do for their current and previous students.”

Russell W

National Park College

Always passionate about graphic design, after graduating from high school Candyce discovered that National Park College (NPC) in Hot Springs offered the classes she needed to continue her education. Candyce credits her success, in part, to NPC “Not many people can say they got their degree that got them their dream jobs right out of college at 20 years old. National Park College was just the college for me…a welcoming campus, great teachers, and access to financial support.” Candyce is currently a graphic designer for Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc. in Little Rock. “Now, every day as I go to work at a job I love, and I thank NPC,” said Candyce.

Candyce C.

National Park College

OSD’s ReSkill Arkansas gave me the training and career counseling services I needed to pursue high-paying jobs in this field. I encourage anyone who is “non-techie” to apply to the program because the ACDS team is there to help you every step of the way.

Malana V.

I strongly encourage anyone interested, or simply curious, about IT or Computer Science to take some of the ReSkill courses offered by ACDS & OSD. The self-paced coursework was presented in a format that proved to be perfect for a person like me who had absolutely no experience with Cybersecurity.

Calvin C.

The COVID-19 pandemic ended my 20-year career as a hairstylist. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to attend classes from home at my pace and to take advantage of the personalized career coaching. I’m confident the ReSkill program will prepare me for my next career.

Angelo M.

Ryan, a former USAF Missile and Space Maintenance Technician, is now a Security Operations Center Analyst at Simmons Bank. “I’ve always been around computers and have been kind of “the IT guy,” but never the super technical IT guy. I was just interested in the technology, so I decided I wanted to get an IT job. I also knew cybersecurity was where I wanted to go… In the apprenticeship program [at Simmons] I learned a lot of different programming languages, and I found a whole bunch of new resources. ….…It’s interesting work. I like the puzzle of figuring out why this got on the system, or how it got on the system.”

Ryan S.

Simmons Bank

Justice apprenticed as a QA test engineer at Metova in Fayetteville. “Basically, what I do for Metova is try to break things. That’s what I tell everyone. I test software for both mobile and web. So I test applications on the phone, for IOS for iPhones and for Android. I also test for when you get on your desktop or your laptop and you go to a website. We do this for many different companies, in industries from healthcare to banking. I just try to make sure everything is working as it should, and I report any bugs or defects. It’s really fulfilling work—I would say it’s the best job and job opportunity I’ve ever been given, for sure. I love it.”

Justice B.

Metova

Hannah was homeschooled and, after college, she started medical school with a full scholarship; however, she quickly discovered that medicine was not for her. After trying several other career options, Hannah discovered her passion at Hytrol in Jonesboro. “Hytrol was a definite turnaround moment…[it] solidified it for me because I got to work in the environment of a real job, so I knew I liked it…I’m doing a data science apprenticeship, all the course work was virtual and right now [I am working on projects that] optimize some current functions using data science.” Hannah has finally found her passion in life with the help of a Hytrol apprenticeship,

Hannah B.

Hytrol

Jodi Ann earned her MBA in 2019 and was awarded an apprenticeship at Arvest Bank. She is a senior reporting analyst at Arvest Bank. “I’ve learned so much over these last six or so months. I’ve taught myself a bunch of things. I’ve had to interact with literally all levels of our organization. I research data problems to develop analytical solutions. Again, I love data. I love touching it and cleaning it and I know most people hate that. I love getting in there and seeing what there is to see. I love visualizations. The actionable insights we can uncover improves the customer’s experience and drives innovation.”

JODI-ANN C.

Arvest Bank

“The OSD grants were crucial to us getting the training we needed, and the improvement in our company speaks for itself.”

Parker Spradlin

Owner, Sinco, Conway

Apprenticeship