Apprenticeship is a system of learning while earning, and “learning by doing.” The apprenticeship training model has been used for centuries to provide employers with a skilled workforce and has proven to be one of the most effective training methods available to small, medium and large employers. An apprenticeship combines classroom and/or lab instruction (Related and Supplemental Instruction or RSI) with a work-based learning or On the Job Training (OJT) experience in which the apprentice is paid a salary or wage. Apprentices attend classes on theory and then apply that knowledge to the workplace, generally under the supervision of an experienced worker, until the apprentice masters that particular area of their training.
The three most important elements about California State-Registered Apprenticeships are:
- It is employer-paid training and employment from day one.
- It is a minimum of 2000 hours or approximately one-year of on the job training.
- Shall be combined with at least 144 hours per year of post-secondary classroom instruction, approved by a California Community College District (CCD), California Department of Education (CDE) Unified School District, Local Educational Agency (LEA), County Office of Education (COE) or Regional Occupational Center/Program (ROCP).