Apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity Toolkit

The U.S. The Department of Labor has set a utilization goal for sponsors of Registered Apprenticeship Programs: 7% of individuals enrolled should be individuals with disabilities. Follow the guidance in PIA’s Apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity Toolkit, which will help put businesses on the path toward reaching the 7% goal and complying with USDOL’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations for Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

View this Resource

Featured Success Stories

Featured Apprentice Tony Granillow. Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services

Featured Apprentice Kristin Strand - Cybersecurity Consultant, Barr Advisory

We interviewed apprentices, including those with disabilities, to get their perspectives on how participating in an inclusive apprenticeship program helped them launch their careers.

Go to the Success Stories page

Resources

wind turbine and icon of a worker wearing a hard hatWhite Paper: The Clean Energy Workforce: A Powerhouse of Accessible Employment Opportunities
The clean energy sector is expanding and job opportunities abound in the industry. That said, companies are struggling to find skilled workers.

We encourage you to read PIA’s white paper to learn how companies of all sizes can launch an inclusive apprenticeship program, which offers a cost-effective way to recruit and train staff, help diversify their workforces, reduce turnover and absenteeism, boost productivity, and more.

Go to the Clean Energy Workforce Whitepaper

Podcast

How Apprenticeship Programs Can Help Employers Recruit and Retain Diverse Talent

Donna Lenhoff headshotEpisode 22: Donna Lenhoff, attorney, advisor, policy architect, and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) policy implementer, discusses the benefit of registered apprenticeships and the impact of public policy. She also weighs in on nondiscrimination regulations that support and encourage apprenticeship programs to recruit, train, and retain a diverse talent pool that includes people with disabilities.

Listen to the podcast and read the transcript

Events

Webinar – Empowering Stories from Black Women in Inclusive Apprenticeships

During this webinar, you will hear success stories from Black female apprentices (one who is a Veteran and one who has a disability) and learn about the many benefits of apprenticeship.

View the webinar recording

What is PIA?

PIA collaborates with employers and apprenticeship intermediaries to design inclusive apprenticeship programs that meet employer talent needs and enable people with disabilities to gain credentials and skills to succeed in growing industries. Learn more about PIA.

Taking apprenticeships to the next level

Apprenticeship programs help employers train their future workforce and enable individuals to gain paid work experience and training. The Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA) helps design diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible apprenticeship programs that are available to all.

PIA’s Impact

man in wheelchair controlling computer with mouth

Since our launch, PIA has made a significant and measurable impact. Review this snapshot of what our team has accomplished since we started our work in October of 2020.

Go to PIA’s Impact Page

icons of a megaphone, finger clicking a button, eye on a screen, social networking, and podcast

PIA is a 2023 Apprenticeship Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. Apprenticeship Ambassadors serve as champions in promoting, expanding, and diversifying Registered Apprenticeship.

Benefits of inclusive apprenticeships

  • Inclusive apprenticeships help employers build a diverse and inclusive workforce of trained professionals, and employers that invest in hiring persons with disabilities receive financial benefits.
  • Inclusive apprenticeship programs create employment opportunities for people with cognitive, physical, mental health, and sensory disabilities.
  • People with disabilities enrolled in inclusive apprenticeship programs earn money while they gain on-the-job training and life-long skills to succeed in high growth, high demand fields.
  • Apprenticeship intermediaries focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility can reach underrepresented groups and create career pathways for people with disabilities in the current and future workplace.
  • Employers can benefit from hiring people with disabilities through increased revenue, greater retention, attraction of a more diverse customer base, and a more inclusive and accessible workplace culture.

Employers who champion disability inclusion earn 28% higher revenue.

View Report (PDF)

Why now?


There’s a wealth of untapped talent

Inclusive apprenticeship programs can drive career pathways for youth and adults with disabilities in growing industries including clean energy, healthcare, IT, cybersecurity, and more.


Employers seek skilled workers

Recruiters are concerned about finding quality talent (PDF). Inclusive apprenticeship programs can bring a wealth of untapped talent to fill critical positions.


Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
(DEIA) is a priority

Organizations are investing in DEIA. Inclusive apprenticeships can help employers build a more inclusive workplace and adhere to regulations related to hiring diverse employees, including those with disabilities.


Telework is
expanding

Telework offers opportunities to attract untapped talent. Inclusive apprenticeships help employers identify a new pool of candidates and understand the accessibility needs of employees.