State Apprenticeship Agencies: The Role of Apprenticeship Councils in Approving Registered Apprenticeships

Registered apprenticeship programs are industry-vetted and approved by either the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship (OA) or a federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) to ensure they meet criteria to maintain quality. This Urban Institute brief explores differences in the states’ apprenticeship approval timelines, number of programs registered, and how the occupations of registered programs vary by registration agency. Additionally, it explores differences between OA states and two types of SAA states: those in which the state agency has sole approval authority and those in which apprenticeship councils can approve programs.