By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
This week is being observed as the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week and Kentucky is seeing a record number of apprentices participating in training efforts, which is more than double the number of enrollees in registered apprenticeship programs during the past decade.
Statistics from the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) and the Office of Employer and Apprenticeship Services indicate that Kentucky logged 6,639 active apprentices during federal fiscal year 2023 – a record high for a single year. That exceeds the previous year’s total by 15 percent.
“Kentucky’s economy is on fire, and the demand for highly skilled workers right now is surpassing anything we could have ever imagined,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “I encourage any Kentuckian who’s just starting out, or maybe searching for a new career, to consider enrolling in a registered apprenticeship program, which allows you to cash a paycheck while learning a marketable new skill.”
Registered apprenticeship programs allow participants to simultaneously earn a living, receive technical training and pursue a nationally recognized credential. They also help make good jobs more accessible to women, people of color, individuals with disabilities and other underrepresented populations in the workforce. Participating employers also realize recruitment, training and employee retention advantages.
In Kentucky, the median starting wage for those who complete a registered apprenticeship program is $55,366 in the first year of employment, according to the report. In the 10th year of employment, the median wage increases to $71,295.
The Office of Employer and Apprenticeship Services in the Education and Labor Cabinet is the state agency that approves registered apprenticeship programs. The office is partnering with youth programs, high school and college counselors, veteran organizations, women- and minority-owned businesses, churches and other groups in underrepresented communities to increase the variety of apprenticeship program offerings.
Data from the latest apprenticeship report also shows the diversity of registered apprentices has increased. The number of Black Kentuckians actively participating in apprenticeship programs nearly tripled from 164 in 2013 to 470 in 2023. The number of women in the state actively participating in a registered apprentice program increased more than tenfold over that decade – from 99 in 2013 to 1,181 in 2023.
In Kentucky, apprenticeship choices run the gamut from traditional trade roles to teaching, healthcare, information technology, advanced manufacturing and much more.