This report provides a description of Registered Apprenticeship and an overview of the activities and initiatives conducted by the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) in the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to promote apprenticeship in a variety of industries and occupations, under the National Apprenticeship Act. In carrying out its legislative mission, OA implemented a range of activities and special initiatives, which served a number of objectives, classified in the paper as: 1) expanding apprenticeship; 2) increasing the number of underrepresented workers; 3) raising the quality of registered apprenticeships programs, as administered by sponsors; 4) developing and strengthening linkages with other employment-related programs; and 5) using and improving data systems and other quality management tools. The report identified both the general and specific activities OA conducted to achieve those objectives, which included: strategic planning and program monitoring; targeting industries and occupations for expansion; developing standards and selection criteria for new registered apprenticeship programs; and dissemination and technical assistance to train OA field staff in promoting apprenticeships and outreach to new sponsors. The report also explores descriptive data on apprentices and programs, the experiences of other countries which have robust apprenticeship systems, ideas relating to the use of technology, and suggestions for improved and more rigorous research.

Key Words: Registered, Apprenticeship, training, experiential, women, minorities