5 Reasons Why Apprentices Are Good for Business

The National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation officially launched its apprenticeship program earlier this year, after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship awarded us a $1.8 million contract last fall. Developed with the DOL and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, apprentices who complete the program earn credentials from the DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship and the NRAEF.

The goal is to create career pathways for restaurant, foodservice and hospitality employees. The NRAEF and AHLA expect to enroll 450 apprentices in the program by year-end.

Here are five reasons apprentices can help your business:

1. Apprenticeships will professionalize the hospitality industry. Our new program offers apprentices the opportunity to increase their knowledge and skill sets through completion of several competencies, including financial management, leadership strategy, branding and marketing, and front-of-the-house/customer service experience, among other things. Mastering these skills will make apprentices more desirable as managerial candidates and give them opportunities to advance their careers.

2. Apprenticeships can improve retention rates. Employee retention is key to any good restaurant operation’s success. Operators often cite recruitment and retention as some of their top challenges, and as the economy improves and employment levels rise, competition for qualified employees increases. We can help develop talented individuals, increasing the likelihood they’ll remain with your company – especially if their careers are advanced through apprenticeship.

3. Our program will complement your own training programs. We’ve worked closely with industry experts to ensure our competency requirements meet the industry’s standards and expectations for managerial success. We also will work closely with employers to ensure that employees have access to training and on-the-job learning that would help them the most.

4. Hiring apprentices could lead to extra funding or reimbursement. Our program, in partnership with the DOL, provides employers with access to additional funding for apprenticeship programs. With the DOL’s support, we’re providing $1,000 per apprentice for classroom training, transportation, housing or child care. In some cases, local workforce investment boards could reimburse up to 75 percent of wages earned by apprentices over a six-month period.

5. We can make it easy. We’ll provide technical assistance and manage your administrative burdens. If the required competencies are not covered in your own internal training, we’ll recommend additional instruction to fill in gaps.

Learn more about apprenticeships and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation