Appendix #1. Comparison of key features of WIA programs, union apprenticeship programs and the Building Bridges project

Feature        WIA programs            Union apprenticeship     Building Bridges 
                                       programs                 Project 
Duration of    Core: work first,       3-5 years 4000-6000      Eight to eleven  
training       "hot body". No          hours of on the job      week cycles, one 
               training provided.      training 300-1000+       three-hour class 
               Intensive: Two weeks;   hours of classroom       per week.  
               job readiness only.     training  
               Training: Determined  
               by need, program. In  
               some areas, there is  
               no cap on ITAs:   
               participants have 
               completed AA/AS   
               degrees using ITAs.   
Representatio  No unions; no link      Wages, benefits          Some general  
n; link to     between skills and      bargained as part of     introduction to  
unions         wages.  Language of     master agreement         being a union 
               WIA says that the       between union and        member; some  
               funding provided        industry.                mentoring from
               shall not be used to    Representation is        minority caucuses
               "promote, deter or      achieved through Joint   in union. Some
               assist" union           Apprenticeship           instructors are  
               organizing.             Committee and union.     union journeymen.
                                       Contract links skills    Exposure to
                                       and wages.               organizing 
                                                                efforts.
Level of       Sets up a tertiary      Many union               Part of the
overlap with   education system -a     apprenticeship           tertiary
public         default system lying    programs are             education system.
education      behind 4 year           developing links with    No credentials.  
system         colleges, behind        primary and secondary    Purpose is to 
               community colleges      systems: community       create ladder by 
               and high schools. No    colleges, four year      which
               entry back into         colleges;                apprenticeship
               primary or secondary    school-to-work           programs are  
               systems except under    programs in public       entered.
               ITAs.  Certification,   schools.  
               not diplomas or   
               credentials.      
Education in   None; narrowly          Yes, if linked to        Yes; Mentoring
social and     defined skill-based     community colleges for   about union.  
political      training. Community     AS degree, as more and   Possible
context of     college courses         more apprenticeship      experience in 
education      offered in              programs are doing.      organizing 
beyond         occupational areas      Labor history is often   efforts.
narrow         only where there is     offered as part of
skills         documented              apprenticeship
               expectation of          program.  
               economic growth.  
Who pays for   Federal and state or    Contractors pay          Donations of  
the            local tax funding.      apprentices at the       overhead from 
training?      Local Workforce         negotiated               churches;  
               Investment Boards pay   apprenticeship rate      Carpenters union 
               providers for           (between $11 and $16     supplies some 
               training through        per hour).  Includes     books, some
               contracts; funds from   benefits at specified    teachers, some
               ITAs are paid to        point.                   annual support;  
               providers. Students                              other personnel  
               are not paid                                     paid by their 
               (sometimes can                                   organizations. No
               receive UI while                                 pay for students.
               training).        
Who is being   Providers vend their    Instructors,             The spokespersons
paid in this   services to local       apprentices are all      from unions and  
system?        workforce board, get    being paid out of        churches are paid
               accredited, then get    industry joint funds.    by their
               referrals.                                       organizations;
                                                                the Interfaith
                                                                staff is paid;
                                                                the teachers are 
                                                                not paid; the 
                                                                students are not 
                                                                paid.
Who are        Employers, community    Unions and the           The only
providers?     colleges, community     industry association     agreement (not
               based organizations,    as Joint                 necessarily
               for-profit community    Apprenticeship           written) is
               based organizations,    Committees.              between churches 
               for-profits of all      Contributions made to    and the 
               sorts.                  a joint fund according   Interfaith 
                                       to hours worked.         Committee. 
                                                                Teachers
                                                                "provide"  
                                                                training at
                                                                church sites, but
                                                                do not constitute
                                                                an organization  
                                                                that is a  
                                                                provider.  
Goal           Train more people to    Maintain union control   Assist women and 
               alleviate high-skill    of labor force; union    minorities to get
               labor shortage; bring   control of work.         into unionized
               unemployed into                                  trades; to 
               workforce, find                                  increase
               alternate employment                             awareness of  
               for dislocated                                   union training in
               workers.                                         communities; to  
                                                                extend market 
                                                                share of
                                                                community  
                                                                construction  
                                                                work.
Physical       One-Stop                Apprenticeship program   Churches
place where    (unemployment office,   sites for some
participant    located in population   programs; union job  
contacts       centers).               sites for programs
system                                 with no hiring hall  
                                       such as Carpenters,  
                                       Bricklayers.  
Source of      Draws from pool of      Applicants take          Church  
applicants     unemployed seeking      pre-apprenticeship       congregations and
               services through        test; get on "list" in   communities; word
               One-Stop                order of score plus      of mouth
               (Unemployment           interview plus other     referrals. 
               Insurance office);      qualifications such as  
               not selective           sponsorship. Classes 
               (depends on staff at    of apprentices are
               One-Stop)               then drawn from these
                                       lists and applicants 
                                       are "called."