Building an Inclusive Registered Apprenticeship Program: Best Practices from Adaptive Construction Solutions
Companies that recruit apprentices from diverse backgrounds can bring new perspectives to the workplace and support their organizations’ inclusion and accessibility efforts. When organizations develop apprenticeship programs to be inclusive and accessible, they create career pathways for people with disabilities and gain access to a pipeline of diverse talent.
An apprenticeship program is a workforce solution that provides apprentices with on-the-job training, typically alongside a mentor, and virtual or classroom instruction. Apprentices master skills needed to succeed in a specific occupation and are paid a competitive wage while they learn and gain credentials to support their long-term success in the workplace. A program may become a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) by passing industry vetting and credentialing standards set by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) or their state apprenticeship agency.
Since 2016, Adaptive Construction Solutions (ACS) has recruited and guided apprentices with disabilities into successful careers in the clean energy and steel construction sectors. Since its inception, ACS has provided national apprenticeship intermediary services while building a RAP in its home state of Texas. One of ACS’s strengths is its commitment to being inclusive and accessible to disabled workers. Between 2018 and 2021, ACS actively supported and engaged 551 apprentices in Houston, Texas and its surrounding regions. Notably, 19.9% of apprentices self-identified as having a disability, more than double the 7% utilization goal for disability inclusion in apprenticeship programs set by DOL’s 2016 Equal Employment Opportunity Rule and exceeding the 7% disability hiring goal for federal contractors established by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. Additionally, 76.5% of ACS apprentices were veterans, and 37% were Black or African American. In comparison, data from DOL’s Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database System (RAPIDS) show that only 1.3% of apprentices nationwide self-identified as people with disabilities from 2018-2021. RAPIDS data also indicate that 8.2% of apprentices identified as veterans, and 12% identified as Black or African American during that time period.
The labor force participation rate for disabled people is less than half of the rate for people without disabilities. A study conducted by Accenture found that organizations that hire workers with untapped talent, such as workers with disabilities, were 36% less likely to face skills shortages. This includes sectors such as clean energy, which added nearly 300,000 jobs between 2021 and 2022. Inclusive apprenticeships offer companies in this sector a way to quickly recruit and upskill candidates with the training, certifications and skills needed to fill these positions. One of ACS's core commitments is to ensure that every apprentice attains employment upon program enrollment. Accordingly, 97% of all ACS apprentices successfully completed their front-loaded related technical instruction while earning full wages in alignment with ACS’s dedication to their development.
According to ACS founder and president Nicholas Morgan, “ACS is proud to develop and expand the apprenticeship ecosystem in the clean energy sector, providing quality jobs to people through apprenticeship. With the clean energy sector’s potential for economic growth and environmental sustainability, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act, the apprentices enrolled in these programs will be equipped to thrive in clean energy careers for years to come.”
One Apprentice’s Journey: Jonathan Rodriguez
“The last thing they saw was the disability. They saw what I had to offer and the value” – Jonathan Rodriguez, former ACS apprentice
After Jonathan Rodriguez graduated from college with a degree in desktop support and network administration, he completed a few internships but was not successful in obtaining a job in his hometown of Houston. As someone who identifies as a person with both apparent and nonapparent disabilities, his situation is common. The transition from college to employment can be challenging for people with and without disabilities, and the difficulty can be compounded for disabled people as indicated by their high unemployment rate relative to the non-disabled population. In 2023, people with disabilities aged 20 to 24 had an unemployment rate that was nearly twice as high as the rate for their peers without disabilities (11.8% vs. 6.4%).
In search of job opportunities matching his interest and experience, Jonathan attended a career fair where he was introduced to ACS. Reflecting on that time, he says, “I really thought it was my last shot. I was about to give up and look at things I hadn’t gone to school for.” When he met with an ACS representative at the job fair, he initially had low expectations. “I had about 50 business cards in my collection, so I didn’t think much of it, but a week later ACS called and asked me to come in for an interview.”
Jonathan sought a full-time role where he could “go to work and help people.” ACS offered Jonathan a position as an ACS administrator. This role was a perfect match for his skills and interests and a direct career pathway in line with his goals. To prepare him for success, ACS asked Jonathan to start as a full-time apprentice, with the understanding that he would transition to a permanent role when he completed the program.
“Finding ACS was a blessing. A lot of companies were firing people during COVID, and I expected I would be fired too,” he notes. Instead, with accessible telework options, Jonathan continued working for ACS and flourished in the position.
The ACS registered apprenticeship program offered Jonathan an ideal way to build his expertise and better understand the journey of ACS apprentices at every stage in the process. Jonathan’s supervisor, Karen Champion, noted, “Practically on the job, he learned [everything from apprenticeship] recruitment through enrollment and certification. He learned the process from start to finish and, at the same time, enhanced his skillset. [He learned] the background behind [clean energy] construction work and what the different crafts need.”
Like many employers, ACS understands that apprentices can develop into valued and loyal employees with skills that match the company’s unique needs. Nationally, 93% of apprentices who complete a Registered Apprenticeship retain employment with their employer, and Jonathan is no different. ACS has been thrilled with Jonathan’s performance; as Champion noted, he has been “such a conscientious worker.”
Jonathan credits the inclusive culture that ACS provides as an important element of his success. “The last thing they saw was [my] disability. They saw what I had to offer and the value.” ACS made it easy for Jonathan to discuss the accommodations he needed to be successful, including a flexible work schedule. Instead of feeling like an outsider, the inclusive culture gave him a sense of belonging. “I felt welcomed; I felt comfortable; I felt like I was [like] everyone else.”
Jonathan now works full-time for ACS and uses the knowledge and experience he gained as an apprentice to help new apprentices navigate their own programs—from enrollment and training to certification. He ensures that apprentices are supported and can access the accommodations needed to succeed and complete the program. Jonathan finds his role deeply rewarding and uses his information technology skills to track apprentices’ progress with ACS’s customized software. “It’s gratifying whenever an apprentice tells me, ‘Thanks for helping me with the process,’ or, ‘You were very kind.’ They're like me, looking for a job, and they want to succeed in the [program].”
Developing an Inclusive and Accessible RAP
“Due to the nature of construction jobs, it is not uncommon for employers to raise questions about hiring people with disabilities. Part of supporting inclusive apprenticeships is to educate employers on the wide range of disabilities, invisible and visible, and help them change their mindset…[and] what supports are needed to ensure [their] success.” – Nicholas Morgan, ACS
The ACS RAP serves as an inclusive apprenticeship model for other programs through its emphasis on these four priorities:
- Prioritizing inclusion. ACS prioritizes hiring people with disabilities and people from diverse and underserved populations, including for its internal team. As a model employer for inclusion, ACS gives apprenticeship applicants more opportunities to identify with people like themselves and hope that a sense of belonging at work is possible. ACS aligns with employer partners willing to learn and implement best practices for creating this type of culture.
- Adopting and sharing best practices, such as how to apply best practices of Universal Design for Learning to apprenticeship programs. ACS also encourages employers to develop inclusive and accessible policies and practices to ensure all apprentices receive the support they need for success. It routinely shares resources with employers seeking to recruit diverse apprentices and helps expand understanding about the benefits of an inclusive workforce. ACS also shares information about supporting all apprentices, including people with disabilities, throughout the lifecycle of an apprenticeship program. Best practices include:
- Creating a space where apprentices feel comfortable self-disclosing their disabilities and requesting accommodations.
- Sharing expertise and a wide range of available resources. For example, ACS connects partners to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). Through JAN, employers can directly request free, confidential and expert guidance on workplace accommodation strategies and solutions. Accommodations often have little to no cost for the employer but are critical for employment success.
- Facilitating partnerships and development of program standards. ACS builds relationships with partner organizations to support recruitment of a diverse pool of candidates, and it encourages employer partners to build program standards. These standards can expand employers’ access to a diverse candidate pool, which includes job seekers receiving Vocational Rehabilitation services under Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). ACS also shares resources from DOL, including its Universal Outreach Tool, which helps employers quickly locate organizations that can help apprenticeship programs recruit diverse candidates.
- Thinking holistically about accessibility and inclusion. People with disabilities frequently overlap with other underrepresented communities. Under WIOA, qualifying individuals with a barrier to employment include people with disabilities, people who are unhoused or housing insecure, older adults, people with low incomes and American Indians. Additionally, DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, in 2023, disabled workers who were Black or African American, Asian or Hispanic or Latino experienced higher rates of unemployment compared to White disabled workers. Research has shown that the same workplace factors that unlock inclusivity for people with disabilities also foster inclusion for other underrepresented groups. Additionally, many disabilities are non-apparent, such as neurodiversity, mental health conditions and chronic illnesses. The average disclosure rate for those with disabilities in the workplace is only 3.2%. Without an inclusive culture that encourages disclosure, many apprentices will not receive the accommodations needed to succeed.
Building a Culture of Inclusion: Getting Started
Building an inclusive RAP does not happen overnight—but it is easier than employers may think, and many resources exist to help. The Office of Apprenticeship at DOL provides technical assistance and help to create high quality programs. The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) offers information and resources to help employers recruit, hire, retain and advance disabled workers and build inclusive workplace cultures. The Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship also offers numerous resources to design an accessible apprenticeship program and recruit candidates, which are available on PIA’s website.