Decision Making and Implementation Strategies for Registered Apprentice Programs in Community Colleges.

Registered Apprenticeships (RA) have recently emerged in response to the labor shortage a s a strategy for employers to recruit new talent or develop their existing workforce. Some community colleges providing the related instruction for RA programs have benefited from these partnerships through increased enrollments, retention of students through to completion, and stronger partnerships with business and industry. Colleges want to better understand the practicalities of apprenticeship before they invest time and resources. The purpose of this study w as to explore the decision-making process and identify strategies that led to the successful implementation of RA programs in community colleges. This qualitative inquiry wa s a case study of recently-implemented RA programs at community colleges across the United States. A national survey and interviews of six community college representatives were primary data collection methods. The inquiry was framed by three theories: (1) Rogers’ (2005) Theory of Diffusion of Innovation; (2) Chakrabarti and Hauschildt’s ( 1989) Promoter Theory; and Tuckman’s (1977) Theory of Group Development. The findings revealed community college leaders’ decision-making processes and implementation strategies that led to successful RA programs. The components discovered from the findings on decision-making comprised three situations: (1) operating on a directive from a higher authority; (2) receipt of a grant that required development of an RA program; or (3) the desire to respond to local labor market needs. Elements discovered from the findings on successful implementation strategies included: (1) appointment of a champion to guide and focus the college apprenticeship initiative; (2) establishment of an internal community college team among several departments working to deliver a quality program; and (3) development of a strong external-facing business outreach strategy to attract employers interested in utilizing RA as a tool for workforce development. These three elements provide a robust approach that will create value and excellent service to both employers and apprentices. Colleges are familiar with t he first two elements because they are operational but not so with developing a strong external-
f acing business outreach strategy. Based on this research, the MacGregor Employer Partnership Model was created. It is a tool for community colleges to adopt to engage the business community effectively in their districts in partnerships for delivering talent solutions such as apprenticeship programs.