A registered apprenticeship is one the New York State Department of Labor has approved. It gives your apprentices a recognized credential when they finish, and it gives your training a structure. Here’s how registration works and whether it makes sense for a small shop.
The 8 steps
According to the Department of Labor:
- Contact an Apprenticeship Navigator, who explains the program and the rules. You need a permanent facility in New York State.
- Pick your trade. Most trades already have an approved state outline. A brand-new trade needs a free job study first.
- Site visit. Local staff visit and help you fill out the application.
- Choose a classroom instruction provider approved by the State Education Department. Staff can help you find one.
- Affirmative action paperwork. Sponsors with fewer than five apprentices sign a pledge; larger ones write a plan.
- Public comment. Your program is posted online for at least 30 days.
- Approval, which typically takes two to four months.
- Monitoring visits afterward, for help and to check you’re following the program.
What you commit to
- On-the-job training that follows the state’s outline for your trade. For example, the electrician outline lists about 8,200 hours over five years, split into work processes like conduit, wiring and lighting.
- Classroom instruction alongside the job, usually paid for by the employer. The electrician outline requires at least 180 hours a year.
- A rising wage schedule. The Department of Labor says starting wages are usually about 40% of the skilled worker rate and go up as the apprentice progresses.
- A ratio of skilled workers to apprentices set for each trade.
- Records of each apprentice’s pay, assignments and progress. See What records to keep for your apprentices.
Running your own vs. joining a group
Industry associations, labor-management groups or groups of employers can sponsor a group program, and individual shops sign on to it. For a shop with one or two apprentices, joining a group can mean less paperwork than running a program alone. Ask the Navigator what group programs exist for your trade on Long Island.
Is it worth it for a small shop?
- For it: a recognized credential helps you attract and keep good apprentices, and the structure gives everyone a clear path.
- Against it: more paperwork, a classroom requirement you pay for, and a state outline to follow.
- Not a reason: the state apprenticeship tax credit. It excludes most construction trades (see the tax credit guide).
Registration is free and the Navigator’s advice costs nothing, so a phone call is the easiest way to find out what it would take for your shop.