A person, association, committee, or organization that operates a Registered Apprenticeship (RA) program. The sponsor takes on the legal responsibility of ensuring the program operates in compliance with federal and state regulations. Sponsor roles typically cover recruitment, screening, and hiring apprentices—or working with employers to do so. They develop formal agreements with apprentices identifying the length of the program, skills to be learned, the wages to be paid at different points in time, the development of the equal employment opportunity plan, and the required classroom instruction; and work with state apprenticeship agencies (SAAs) or the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to make sure that their registered programs meet state and federal requirements.

Apprenticeship programs can be sponsored by:

• Employers or a consortium of businesses
• Workforce intermediary (e.g., industry association or a labor-management organization)
• Labor groups
• Employer associations
• Unions
• Agencies
• Colleges
• Committees
• Third-party entities that take on administrative duties related to sponsorship.

To register an apprenticeship, a sponsor submits an application to the applicable registration agency (DOL or appropriate SAA). The application includes a work process schedule that describes the competencies the apprentice will learn and how on the-job training and related instruction will teach those competencies. The application also includes a schedule of wage increases for the apprentice, description of safety measures, and other assurances related to program administration and recordkeeping.

See Topic Brief: Apprenticeship / Apprenticeships | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library