Data Insights Award Nomination Michigan

Michigan Data Insights Award Nomination: Registered Apprenticeship in Michigan

Contact Information of Individual Submitting Nomination

Nominator: Scott Powell

Agency Name: Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives

Registered Apprenticeship in Michigan

Apprenticeships are a significant component of the talent pipeline in Michigan. Also, registered apprenticeship programs provide a key pathway to high-demand, high-wage employment that does not require a 4-year degree. Yet, actionable information to expand apprenticeship is often unavailable or does not exist. To address this need, Michigan recently completed two apprenticeship-focused publications using data from the federal Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Management Data System (RAPIDS). These products address several critical topics for policymakers including demographics of apprentices and how well programs serve vulnerable populations, the growth of non-traditional programs, and the outcomes of program completers. Moreover, Michigan’s recent work linked administrative wage records with RAPIDS data for the first time, providing much more in-depth analysis of employment and wage outcomes of apprentices after program completion. Michigan believes these publications represent a significant contribution to developing high impact products and services.

Provide a statement of results, accomplishments, impacts, and any other appropriate information that demonstrates why the nominee's efforts described in question #1 were an exceptional contribution. Response (400 word limit).

Both publications have produced numerous insights into registered apprenticeship in Michigan. The first publication, “The State of Registered Apprenticeships in Michigan,” revealed that diversity in apprenticeship programs is beginning to increase and Michigan has experienced rapid growth in apprenticeship since 2015. Additionally, the report revealed that completion rates vary widely across programs and that those that complete programs earn considerably higher wages than other workers in the same occupation. The second publication, a feature article in “Michigan’s Labor Market News,” demonstrated additional findings, such as the distribution of apprenticeship programs across the state and relevant rankings on how Michigan compares to other states, as well as provided detailed information on state initiatives to expand apprenticeship.

Since the release of both publications during National Apprenticeship Week, the insights gained from these products have been shared with numerous apprenticeship stakeholders including policymakers, workforce development professionals, employers, and educators. Although released only two months ago, the stakeholders have already begun to leverage the products for programmatic decision making and have commissioned the creation of a new apprentice dashboard to provide regular updates to the critical metrics provided in the publications.

Provide a brief description of the nominee's significant contributions in any one of the other two areas listed under "criteria" that you did not focus on above. Response (400 word limit).

Beyond contributions to high impact products and services, Michigan’s work in registered apprenticeship also represents a significant resource for making an impact on efforts in other states and nationally. Apprenticeship programs are of critical importance to national, state, and local labor markets, but data is often difficult to access. By leveraging RAPIDS data, Michigan’s work has provided a roadmap for other states on how to access apprenticeship records and turn apprenticeship data into actionable information. Additionally, Michigan has taken the rare step of linking these records with other data sources, demonstrating both the benefits of combining administrative wage records with apprenticeship data and how to analyze and transform these unique sources of data into information for policymakers.

Furthermore, the products provide a key resource for the USDOL, which has awarded Michigan multiple apprenticeship-related grants since 2016. Methodological decisions in Michigan’s analysis of registered apprenticeship were made with these grants, providing key metrics before and after the grants were awarded. The analysis provides a plethora of information to both Michigan and USDOL on the potential role of grant funding in program performance.