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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?
The best way to get started is to call or e-mail a Labor & Industries apprenticeship consultant in your area. He or she can provide you with all the necessary information and resources to start a registered apprenticeship program.

What will L&I do for me?
L&I has consultants who will walk you through the entire process and help you get started. Once you have an apprenticeship program, they will be in contact with you regularly to help you manage your program.

How much will it cost to start an apprenticeship program?
The primary cost to starting an apprenticeship program is time and effort. You pay no fees to Labor & Industries to register a program. If you decide to participate as a training agent partnering with an existing apprenticeship, you may be required to pay a small fee to the apprenticeship program to help cover the costs of training. This fee varies by program.

Are there any financial benefits?
Yes. The financial benefits are both short term and long term. First, you save on payroll costs because you pay your apprentice lower wages than you would pay a journeylevel worker. As time passes and apprentices progress in their training, they earn increasingly higher wage amounts. Additionally, as a Washington state registered apprentice, your apprentice will receive a 50% tuition waiver at a Washington state community or technical college.

One Washington city created an apprenticeship program to train an administrative assistant. The city saved $14,000 in payroll costs and $840 in tuition costs, and the apprentice got a jump start on her career, and a nationally recognized credential that she can put on her resume.

In the long run, you will benefit financially by having a better trained and more productive workforce. A recent study showed that the financial benefits of apprenticeship training programs exceed the cost for 15 different trades. On average, for each dollar invested, employers receive a benefit of $1.38—a net return of $0.38. (“Return on Apprenticeship Training Investment.” Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. June 2006).

How long will it take to set up a program?
Creating an apprenticeship program that is registered with and approved by the state normally takes a minimum of six months, although "PLANT" programs can be registered sooner. Construction employers are encouraged to look into the many quality programs already in existence in the construction trades.

What is my role as an employer?
For trades that have an established apprenticeship program, an employer is responsible for:

• Overseeing on-the-job training and monitoring attendance at related training classes.
• Evaluating progress before recommending advancement to the next pay level.
• Recommending award of the certificate of completion when an apprentice has satisfactorily completed the required course work and on-the-job training.