Siea

Registered Apprenticeship Programs

How to Get Started in Registered Apprenticeship

If your company is new to Registered Apprenticeship, you may want to explore each of these sections below to for information and resources to help you get started.

  1. Consider Apprenticeable Occupations that are relevant to your company
  2. Explore Types of Registered Apprenticeship Programs
  3. Seek Apprenticeship Connections

Looking for a deeper dive into the steps required to launch or participate in a Registered Apprenticeship Program? Check out IREC’s Apprenticeship Toolkit for Clean Energy Employers to learn more.

Apprenticeable Occupations

Below are several examples of U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeable occupations that are commonly utilized for construction trades work in the solar and storage industries. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list.

Example Solar Job Title Approved Apprenticeship Occupation Approximate Duration
Electrician Electrician 4-5 years
Solar Laborer/Assembler/Installer Construction Craft Laborer 2 years
Equipment Operator Operating Engineer 2-4 years
Carpenter/Variety of Titles Carpenter 4 years

There are over 1,000 occupations that the U.S. Department of Labor recognizes as apprenticeable, including roles that are relevant to the solar and storage industries and are not construction trades focused such as Project Manager, Operations Manager, Technical Sales Representative, Manufacturing Technician, etc. For more information on Apprenticeable Occupations, visit IREC’s Apprenticeable Occupations in Clean Energy page.

Registered Apprenticeship Types

The chart below describes the types of registered apprenticeship programs that an employer could lead or participate in. The Registered Apprenticeship Program Sponsor is the organization that registers and administers the program. There are options for employers to participate in a registered apprenticeship program sponsored by another organization which partners with multiple employers or for the employer to be the sponsor of its own registered apprenticeship program.

Partnership and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship

Partnering with Pre-Apprenticeship & Training Programs

SEIA is building relationships with pre-apprenticeship programs and training providers across the country in order to support our members in building talent pipelines for their apprenticeship programs and other career opportunities.

These organizations often establish relationships in communities around the country that have been historically excluded from clean energy career opportunities. They are interested in partnering with apprenticeship program sponsors and solar and clean energy employers about apprenticeship and other career opportunities for their graduates.

These organizations listed below offer structured training and hands-on learning that is valuable to apprentices or workers starting out in the construction trades, and they offer programming in locations around the country:

For assistance connecting with pre-apprenticeship or hands-on training programs, please email workforce@seia.org.

Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) in Registered Apprenticeship

When intentionally developed to attract, train, and retain a diverse workforce, Registered Apprenticeships have the potential to open doors to those who have been historically excluded from solar and clean energy careers. The cost of college is an increasing barrier to many for continued learning and skills development. Apprenticeship provides an immediate paycheck while allowing apprentices to simultaneously learn through classroom instruction and receive structured, on-the-job training under the supervision of a mentor.

Embedding DEIA into Registered Apprenticeship programs can be a powerful strategy for companies. Companies participating in registered apprenticeships often benefit from improved workforce productivity and reduced turnover. Companies that intentionally embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) tend to outperform their competitors that do not.