Employer FAQs

Our school district wants to participate. how do we start?

Identify the HR and employee representatives in your school district who will take the leading roles in initiating a partnership with the state apprenticeship committee. CONTACT the state apprenticeship committee to sign on as an Authorized Training Agent.

Request information on upcoming state apprenticeship committee meetings where you can join in discussions and training opportunities that will enrich your local apprenticeship program.

Our school district has signed on as an Authorized training agent. What’s next?

Welcome aboard! Select a person from your school district to become your Apprenticeship Coordinator. Use the tools and guides available on the Employer Operation page and Recruiting page to implement the program at your school district.

The Apprenticeship Coordinator will be responsible for recruiting and registering new apprentices, reporting apprenticeship OJT/RSI hours in ARTS and supporting apprentices at your school district. The JATC will contact L&I to grant the Apprenticeship Coordinator access to the ARTS program when the Training Agent Agreement is completed.

Apprenticeship Coordinators receive training and support from the JATC and L&I.

How do we recruit apprentices?

Begin recruiting new apprentices from your existing staff. Use the RECRUITING tools and processes to reach out to your Paraeducator and Secretarial staff about becoming registered apprentices in this earn while you learn pathway to an Associate Degree.

You may want to show these APPRENTICESHIP STORIES video clips featuring people who have been involved with this apprenticeship program during a recruiting workshop at your school district.

How do we officially register our new apprentices?

Here is the APPRENTICESHIP AGREEMENT form for registering new apprentices. Use your ARTS login to enter the information from the Apprenticeship Agreement form to register a new apprentice with the Department of Labor & Industries.

Each Apprenticeship Coordinator will have their own login from the Department of Labor & Industries to access the Apprenticeship Registration & Tracking System (ARTS). Use this ARTS reporting QUICK START GUIDE to assist you with navigating in ARTS.

We have registered new apprentices. Now what?

Apprenticeship Coordinators will be given access to the Introduction to Apprenticeship video course that is the first RSI class that every new apprentice should take before enrolling in college courses to complete their Related Supplemental Instruction(RSI). It is very helpful for new Apprenticeship Coordinators to view this video course and supplemental materials prior to sharing it with new apprentices. The tools and information in the video will provide a solid foundation for success of new apprentices.

OUr new registered apprentices are ready to enroll in college. who do they contact?

Our college partners are here to help apprentices register for classes related to their apprenticeship program and earn an Associate Degree. Apprentices will go to the COLLEGE PARTNERS page and select the college that best fits their program and style of learning. These college partners offer 50% reduced tuition to registered apprentices.

Apprentices may consider completing the Federal Student Aid application FAFSA to become eligible for additional scholarships or financial aid options at the college they select.

Remind all new apprentices that they are required to complete 144 hours of RSI (about 15 credits) per year and to plan their college course schedules accordingly.

How do we start tracking the OJT/RSI hours for our apprentices?

Each registered apprentice will need to fill out an Apprenticeship WORK PROGRESS RECORD form monthly to track their OJT and RSI hours. These forms will be turned in to a designated Apprenticeship Coordinator at your school district for quarterly reporting to Labor & Industries through Apprenticeship Registration & Tracking System (ARTS). Instructions for filling out the Apprenticeship Work Progress Record form are explained in detail in the Introduction to Apprenticeship video.

It’s time to report OJT/RSI hours to l&i using ARTS. Where do i go?

Use your login from L&I to access the ARTS tracking system. Go to RSI/OJT Reporting found in the Quick Links box. Search for the registered apprentice by name or by Apprenticeship ID that is issued to each new apprentice from L&I. Select the information you want to report for this apprentice and then select search. Enter the date range you are reporting OJT/RSI hours for, enter hours in the appropriate box and submit. Easy as that!