This is a typical call to the Arkansas Office of Skills Development:

"Hi, my husband and I own an aircraft maintenance company, and we're having trouble finding skilled technicians to work in our shop. How can a registered apprenticeship program help us train the workers we need?"

Like this caller, many employers across Arkansas struggle to fill critical roles.

National Apprenticeship Week (today–May 2) highlights a proven solution: Paid hands-on training programs that are building the state's next generation workforce through registered apprenticeships.

A registered apprenticeship is an "earn and learn" workforce development strategy that has demonstrated its value since the late 1930s. It combines on-the-job training with structured classroom instruction, mentorship and a steady paycheck. In fact, apprentices receive wage increases as they proceed through their training and earn industry-recognized credentials upon completion.

Let's put one common myth to rest right now: Apprenticeships are not only for the building and construction trades. Quite to the contrary. Apprenticeships span various industries, including IT, banking, health care, education, transportation, logistics, energy, manufacturing and many other sectors. Currently, the U.S. Department of Labor recognizes more than 1,400 occupations as apprenticeable.

Another myth: Only recent high school graduates can become apprentices. Not so. Workers looking to upgrade their skills or pivot to a new direction also might want to take this path to high-demand careers without taking out college loans or giving up a regular income.

In Arkansas, we have seen a steady increase in apprenticeships, with a 4 percent jump this past fiscal year alone, and nearly 140 percent growth over the past 10 years. More than 2,500 companies in the state currently employ apprentices.

For many employers and job seekers, the next question is simple: Where do I start? That's where the Office of Skills Development (OSD), a division of Workforce Connections within the Arkansas Department of Commerce, comes in. Our staff provides the funding support and technical assistance needed to turn interest in apprenticeships into working programs.

To illustrate what that means, let's circle back to the aircraft maintenance shop owner who contacted us for guidance. We connected her with an industry partner that will help her launch a registered apprenticeship, identify the right classroom training and recruit highly motivated candidates. We then encouraged her to apply for one of our apprenticeship grants that provides reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the classroom instruction.

Several grants are available to support apprenticeship training, including the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund. This four-year $35.8 million initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and was recently awarded to Division of Workforce Connections, OSD to administer nationwide. It offers employers a $3,500 incentive for each manufacturing apprentice in selected occupations who successfully completes a 90-day probationary period.

While employers are building these programs, the real impact is felt by the people who step into them. For job seekers across Arkansas, registered apprenticeships offer a practical paid pathway into stable high-quality careers.

We met one such apprentice at a recent "Build My Future" event, a hands-on career showcase for students in grades 8-12 hosted by the Arkansas Association of Builders and Contractors and co-sponsored by our office. Luke, 23, was about to finish his four-year apprenticeship to become a line worker at Entergy.

An apprenticeship was not the first thing that came to mind during his senior year in high school. "I was a typical 18-year-old who didn't know what to do after graduation, so I went to college," he told us. But college proved a poor fit. When a friend told him about the apprenticeship opportunities at Entergy, Luke decided to apply. Since being hired, he hasn't looked back.

Now he was onsite showing other middle and high school students how to tighten a power wire while wearing full safety gear.

Luke's only regret: "If I could do it again, I'd come here [to Entergy] right away." But there were no career days or Build My Future events at his high school.

Fortunately, National Apprenticeship Week events and youth apprenticeship programs are much more prevalent today, with many Arkansas students taking advantage of these new career pathways.

Arkansas needs a skilled and educated workforce. For many, college is the right decision; for others, apprenticeships offer a proven alternative--one that leads directly to in-demand careers without the burden of student debt. We invite you to discover all the possibilities.

For more information about apprenticeships, funding and resources, visit https://arkansasosd.com/.

Derrick Daniels is director of the Office of Apprenticeship within the Arkansas Office of Skills Development. OSD is a division of Arkansas Workforce Connections within the Arkansas Department of Commerce.

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