Clean energy distribution and installation partner Ampacity created a new Registered Apprenticeship (RA) program in 2023 to standardize training, improve quality, and meet Inflation Reduction Act project requirements. Ampacity’s apprenticeship is a two-year, fully paid program approved by the U.S. Dept. of Labor and recognized by all 50 states.
Ampacity has graduated 61 apprentices so far, with 48 currently in training. We talked to Ampacity’s Workforce Development Manager Keith DeCarlo to learn more about the program and how it’s supporting the company’s partners.
Why did Ampacity create its own Registered Apprenticeship program?
DeCarlo: After the IRA added new apprenticeship requirements to the ITC, we started assessing whether a program like that would be a good fit for us. The idea of standardizing and formalizing our training processes was an easy decision, so we set off researching how to create our own program. After a lot of work and collaboration with our sister companies, we created a Construction Craft Laborer Registered Apprenticeship program that was approved by the Dept. of Labor and is applicable in all 50 states.
How is the program helping partners meet workforce and project needs?
By having our own in-house apprenticeship, Ampacity does not have to reach out to a third party to cover the apprentice hour requirement for clients seeking IRA credits. Our IRA reporting has gone through several third-party auditors, so our clients can rest assured we have all federal requirements covered.
How has the Registered Apprenticeship program improved Ampacity’s processes on jobsites?
Sharing our best practices across all the teams and putting them in writing as our standard operating procedures has made our whole operation more uniform. The result has been a more productive, highly trained workforce ready to do the best work possible for our partners.
Paid apprenticeship programs like ours help to sustainably advance field workers and level up their training. We’re proud to support partners with skilled, motivated workers, while also meeting any federal requirements for their projects.
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