Government participation was established in the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 which authorizes the federal government in cooperation with the states, to oversee the nation's apprenticeship system. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship in conjunction with state apprenticeship agencies, is responsible for registering apprenticeship programs that meet federal and state Standards of Apprenticeship. It issues Certificates of Completion to apprentices, encourages the development of new programs through marketing and technical assistance, protects the safety and welfare of apprentices and assures that all programs provide high quality training to apprentices
Since 1941, the Kansas Apprenticeship Council (KAC) has been authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, to act as the official registration agency for federal purposes in Kansas. The KAC meets every other month. It is codified at K.S.A. 44-661 et seq. and is composed of nine members as follows: four representatives of management, four representatives of labor and the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary’s designee. Representatives of management and labor are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.
Kansas Apprenticeship Council Members
Registered Apprenticeship programs are operated by both the public and private sectors and consist of the program sponsors, journeyworkers/mentors, and the individual apprentices. A sponsor of an apprenticeship program plans, administers and usually pays for the Registered Apprenticeship programs.
The sponsor provides skilled workers, called journeyworkers or mentors, to assist apprentices throughout the program with the on-the-job training component. Once a program is developed and registered, and a journeyworker/mentor is identified, apprentices may be registered under the sponsor's program.
Regions that adopt robust Registered Apprenticeship programs in the context of economic development, create seamless pipelines of skilled workers and flexible career pathways to meet current and furure workforce demands.