FACTSHEET for COLLEGES

Are you currently looking for motivated degree seekers? Are you looking to build college-to-career pipelines in a variety of occupations? Then the RACC was created for you.

What is the RACC?

Credit for prior learning is among the hottest educational issues facing today’s academic institutions. Leading colleges across the country are joining the RACC to facilitate the transfer of the U.S. Department of Labor’s rigorous Registered Apprenticeship completion certificate towards college credit among RACC members. Administered by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, the RACC is a national network of postsecondary institutions, employers, unions and associations working to create opportunities for apprentice graduates who may want to further enhance their skills by completing an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree. Membership also includes state, regional and national organizations that represent Registered Apprenticeship programs and colleges. College members agree to provide credit for a Registered Apprenticeship completion certificate as recommended by a recognized third party evaluator. Currently, there are thousands of existing articulation agreements between a single college and local Registered Apprenticeship program. The consortium will create a national network of colleges and Registered Apprenticeship programs allowing apprentice graduates to accelerate completion of their postsecondary degrees at member colleges.

RACC Goals

Provide apprentices an accelerated pathway to earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and advocate for the flexibility needed to enable apprentices to earn credit for their Registered Apprenticeship experience;

Create a new pipeline of degree seekers to increase graduation rates; Enhance the competitiveness of businesses by enlarging the pool of highly-trained

workers; Strengthen relationships among Registered Apprenticeship and postsecondary

institutions nationwide; and Enhance national understanding of and responses to the needs of apprentices as

another working student population.

What is Registered Apprenticeship?

Registered Apprenticeship is a proven and structured “earn and learn” model that pairs paid on-the-job learning with related technical classroom instruction in any number of career fields. Registered Apprenticeship offers job seekers immediate employment opportunities that usually pay higher than average wages and offer continued career growth. Apprentices learn highly-

sought after life skill sets; earn portable credentials from the U.S. Department of Labor and recognized by the Department of Education that are nationally and often globally recognized; and gain the opportunity to apply their apprenticeship training to two- and four-year college programs. Registered Apprenticeship programs are offered by tens of thousands of employers, employer associations and labor-management organizations that use the model to grow highly-skilled workers trained to meet current industry specifications, ensure workplace safety, and increase productivity. Apprenticeship crosses a wide sector of industries that include construction, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, hospitality, telecommunications, and information technology. Registered Apprenticeship is a highly versatile training strategy that aligns with and advances the goals of life-long learning. Nearly 360,000 apprentices are trained each year. Millions have completed an apprenticeship yet don’t have a college degree.

Why Should Colleges Join the RACC?

The RACC is a network of colleges and Registered Apprenticeship programs working together to

provide college-to-career opportunities to a significant number of student-workers across the

country. Two- and four-year colleges continue to be the largest providers of postsecondary

education, but in today’s economy individuals are looking for flexible avenues to obtain

credentials, career opportunities and greater earning potential. By joining the RACC,

institutions will have access to apprentice graduates who may want to complete a degree to

move further up a career path. Apprentice graduates are a highly motivated pool of degree

seekers. Having gone through the rigor and structure of an apprenticeship, they are likely to

easily complete a college degree.

Quality Programming and Integrity

All Registered Apprenticeship RACC members must have their programs evaluated by a third

party organization to determine the college credit value of the apprenticeship completion

certificate. Currently, the American Council on Education (ACE), the National College Credit

Recommendation Service (NCCRS) and two- and four-year postsecondary institutions that go

through a similar evaluation process to Registered Apprenticeship programs as ACE and NCCRS

are organizations acceptable as Third Party Evaluators. All RACC college members must be

degree-granting institutions that are accredited by a regional institutional accrediting agency

recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

How Do I Join?

Joining the RACC is a click away through the streamlined application process, available on the

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship RACC homepage, www.doleta.gov/oa/racc.

Look for the “Postsecondary Application.” Membership is free. Members agree to abide by the

RACC Framework that outlines goals, principles and criteria for membership and the RACC

Standards of Good Practice also found on the website. For further information and to discuss

any questions, please call 202/693-2796 or send an e-mail to Apprenticeship.College@dol.govTo learn more

about the “Earn and Learn” Registered Apprenticeship model and existing programs in a wide

variety of industries, visit us at

https://21stcenturyapprenticeship.workforce3one.org/%2findex.aspx

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With a network of over 150,000employers in more than 1,000occupations, Apprenticeship isdeveloping a new generation of

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