Effective data tracking and management are essential for the success of any community college registered apprenticeship program. Accurate and well-organized data provide valuable insights into program impacts, support compliance with U.S. Department of Labor, (DOL) policies, and help demonstrate the value of apprenticeships to stakeholders.
Additionally, robust quality data collection enables colleges to make informed decisions about program expansion, employer engagement, and workforce alignment.
Key benefits of apprenticeship data tracking include:
- Ensuring compliance with federal and state apprenticeship regulations.
- Measuring program success and apprentice outcomes.
- Supporting grant applications, accreditation reviews, and funding requests.
- Assisting in employer needs assessment and future workforce planning.
- Enhancing marketing efforts by showcasing program impact.
Key Data Elements to Track
Colleges involved in apprenticeship programs should track the following critical data points:
Employer and Program Sponsor Data
- Employer name and contact information
- Registered apprenticeship program sponsor(s)
- Registered apprenticeship occupation(s)
- Number of registered apprentices in each program, occupation, and at each employer
- Financial information (cost to employer, total revenue, etc.)
Registered Apprentice Data
- Name and contact information
- Registered apprenticeship program
- Occupation
- Demographic data (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.…)
- Wage and employee information
- Student information, including course schedule, attendance, grades, degrees and/or certificates achieved, graduation date, and/or reason student did not complete (if applicable).
While critical for program monitoring and improvement, these data also should be readily available at your college for use in marketing campaigns, grant applications, accreditation reviews, and other instances to demonstrate success. Data also will be useful in assessing and projecting employer needs going forward as well as designing and implementing new, similar registered apprenticeship programming.
Data tracking is necessary to maintain compliance with Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Standards. If your college is only providing related technical instruction (RTI) for an employer partner, your data tracking and management should include the internal data elements in the previous section, as well as any additional information your employer partner requires for the administration of their registered apprenticeship program. This typically includes apprentice grades, attendance, GPA, and other academic information.
For colleges serving as a registered apprenticeship program intermediary or program sponsor, the college is responsible for collecting and maintaining all documentation for the administration of the registered apprenticeship program and ensuring compliance with DOL.
For DOL Office of Apprenticeship (OA) states, data must be collected in two standard forms:
- Appendix D – Employer Acceptance Agreement
- Appendix B – Form 671.
For State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states, data collection requirements vary, but many states have similar reporting standards.
Most OA and many SAA states use the Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS) for apprentice registration, oversight, and compliance tracking. SAA states that do not use RAPIDS have their own similarly functioning data management systems for tracking registered apprenticeships.
If your college is a registered apprenticeship program intermediary or program sponsor, the OA or SAA staff will provide access to the appropriate data tracking system and offer training on system usage and reporting requirements. If your college is only providing RTI services to employer partners, you should work directly with those employers to determine their exact data collection and management needs.