Universal Outreach Tool
Apprenticeship program sponsors can use the Universal Outreach Tool to help expand recruitment to diverse and qualified candidates in their area, while also meeting a key provision of the apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations.
What is the Universal Outreach Tool?
The Universal Outreach Tool is a resource to help sponsors find diverse candidates for their apprenticeship programs. The tool includes non-profit, state, local, and community organizations across the country, and sponsors can use the tool to identify organizations in their area that can help them recruit diverse apprentices.
How does the Universal Outreach Tool work?
The Universal Outreach Tool is a clickable map that allows sponsors to quickly locate organizations in their area.
Watch this tutorial for a quick explanation of how to use the tool most effectively.
How can the tool help sponsors recruit apprentices?
The organizations in the Universal Outreach Tool , such as American Job Centers, YWCA, Goodwill and many others, work with local communities and diverse populations. These organizations may be able to help sponsors publicize apprenticeship openings and refer potential candidates. Some of these organizations focus on specific populations, such as women, persons of color, or individuals with disabilities, while others serve the general public.
Once sponsors have used the tool to identify one or more organizations in their recruitment area, they should visit the websites and contact the organizations to confirm that they can assist with apprentice recruitment. If sponsors determine that an organization is likely to be a source of job seekers for their program, sponsors should include that organization on their list of recruitment sources ‒ the list they will send notices of apprenticeship openings. Sponsors will want to share information about the program and their hiring needs, so that the organizations understand how and why they should refer potential applicants.
How can the tool help sponsors meet apprenticeship EEO requirements?
The Universal Outreach Tool can help sponsors meet the outreach and recruitment requirements in the apprenticeship EEO regulations.
| Apprenticeship EEO Requirement | Apprentice Outreach and Recruitment Tool |
|---|---|
| Develop, and update annually, a list of recruitment sources that will generate referrals from all demographic groups within the relevant recruitment area. | Sponsors can use the tool to identify the organizations to develop their list of recruitment sources. |
| Confirm a contact person, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address for each recruitment source. | The tool lists basic contact information for each organization, and sponsors can use this to reach out to confirm the full contact information for the organization. |
| Provide recruitment sources with advance notice (preferably 30 days) of apprenticeship openings, to give them time to identify and refer candidates. | Sponsors can use the list of recruitment sources they identified through the tool to send apprenticeship openings. Sponsors should send information about openings preferably 30 days before the application deadline. |
While the tool includes many organizations, it is not exhaustive, and sponsors should be aware that they may need to identify additional resources within their recruitment areas, in order to meet the requirement to "develop a current list of recruitment sources that will generate referrals from all demographic groups within the relevant recruitment area."
Please be sure to refer back to this tool when you update your list every year. If you find additional resources that should be added to this list, or if you find errors on it, please send an email to apprenticeship@dol.gov
The inclusion of organizations in the tool is not intended to endorse any views expressed or implied, or to recommend any products or services offered by these organizations. The Department of Labor reserves the right to exclude or terminate from the list any organization that espouses or supports any policy, position or cause that conflicts with departmental policies, programs, procedures and responsibilities.