Vermont: State of the State

ESAC State Report 2025

 

Vermont: State of the State

 

Vermont Apprenticeship Program Office Details – VT Department of Labor, Workforce Development Division

 

STAFF:

 

Sarah Knight, Senior Program Administrator for Apprenticeship (Director)

 

Chritopher Laflam, Apprenticeship Program Support Specialist (ATR)

 

Supported by other VDOL staff: Assistant Director of Workforce Development, Business Services Manager, Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Contracts & Grants Administrator

 

 

 

Vermont Apprenticeship Advisory Board – New Board convened in August 2024; meets quarterly in an advisory capacity:

 

• The Commissioner of Labor; Chair

 

• The Apprenticeship Director; Secretary

 

• VT Secretary of Education or designee

 

• Member of the State Workforce Development Board; appointed by the chair of the Board

 

• 2 representatives of recognized union organizations; appointed by the Governor

 

• 2 representatives of employer program sponsors; appointed by the Governor

 

• 1 representative of related instruction or training from an adult or secondary career technical education program, appointed by the Governor

 

• 2 representatives from underserved communities; appointed by the Governor

 

 

Statistics

 

Current:

 

Number of Registered Programs in Vermont = 113

 

Number of Active Apprentices in Vermont = 1752

 

Active Occupations = 32

 

Active Employers = 449

 

Active, Multi-Employer Sponsors = 6

 

 

	Fiscal Year 2024	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
# of Apprentices	1744	1428	1449	1496	1744
# of New	823	132	140	185	366
Apprentices
# of Completions	243	46	63	91	44
# of Sponsors	124	112	115	124	101
# of New Programs	17	2	3	7	5

 

 

 

 

Apprenticeship Program Updates & Key Initiatives

 

 

 

In 2024, Vermont continued with work that began in 2023 under the SAEF1 formula funding to develop a Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program in the State. In partnership with the VT Agency of Education and the VT Rural Education Collaborative, there are now seven K-12 Teacher RAP’s registered and sponsored by school districts in the Northeast Kingdom of the State, and the first cohort of 29 apprentices are currently active in this post-baccalaureate program. The initiative will continue next year with the plan to expand and grow this program, as well as work with post-secondary partners to develop a Teacher Apprenticeship Program for individuals who do not yet have their bachelor’s degree.

 

Construction is another industry in which Vermont is invested in growing RA opportunities. With the great shortage of affordable housing in the State, our SAEF2 grant focused on the need to grow a skilled workforce in the trades of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. VDOL has established and is partnering with multiple organizations committed to designing and growing Registered Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship opportunities in VT. Some of our key partners in this expansion work include the Associated Builders & Contractors of VT/NH, ReSOURCE, VT Works for Women, CTE Adult Education, and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.

 

In addition, a pilot program for “Youth in Apprenticeship” began with two Career and Technical Centers having integrated the first year of RTI from the Electrical and Plumbing Registered Apprenticeship Programs into their CTE program curriculum. This will allow these students to have significant, advanced standing if they continue with RA after high school graduation.

 

Vermont state apprenticeship funding continues to be used to engage key partners: The Vermont State University, who provides the RTI and serves as a multi-employer sponsor and administers the program for over 800 electrical and plumbing apprentices and close to 400 employers; the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) who supports our work by serving as Vermont’s designated Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Center for the

 

 

manufacturing sector. This designation highlights VMEC’s dedication to offering support and guidance to manufacturers as they embark on the journey of Registered Apprenticeship.

 

 

Notable Achievements

 

As Vermont actively advances Registered Apprenticeship as a valued training model, we are fortunate to continue our distinctive partnership with the Republic of Austria. In November of 2023, Governor Phil Scott signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Austria that outlines a cooperative, bilateral agreement to share expertise around apprenticeship models. This agreement allows VDOL to learn about the successful apprenticeship model in Austria, explore ways to adopt some promising practices, and generally partner on further expansion of apprenticeship, particularly in the advanced manufacturing sector. In the summer of 2024, the Austrian Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Petra Schneebauer, visited the Department’s American Job Center in Burlington and met with Commissioner Harrington and Workforce Development Leaders to discuss further opportunities for cooperation between Vermont and

 

Styria, a state in southeast Austria. In November of 2024, a delegation from Vermont, including our Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Director of Workforce Development, traveled to Styria to visit and learn more about their robust Apprenticeship model from employers, schools, participants, and industry partners.