06/20/2026
From the Seattle Times:
(Editor's note: Businesses and the education system is starting to understand the value of apprenticeships. It isn't that apprenticeship is anything new as its been around for awhile....history (a good thing to read) shows there were apprentices during what is called "biblical times.")
Apprenticeships here are booming, and the number of apprentices jumped more than 70% in the past decade. The concept is straightforward and undeniably appealing: start working and getting paid on day one, while your training is built around the job you’re already doing.
Getting a registered apprenticeship means the program has been vetted by the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, with guaranteed wage progression and a completion credential transferable across state lines. Six months out from completing an apprenticeship, the average salary is more than $100,000.
And apprenticeships aren’t just limited to careers in the building and construction trades. The state is actively increasing apprenticeships in other areas like healthcare and education.
But how competitive are these programs? What does the path actually look like? And how do you get started?
Rachel McAloon, program manager of registered apprenticeships at Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries, has answers. The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.
What are the main advantages of completing an apprenticeship?
If you think of the traditional college model, you go to college and you get a degree in education. Then at the end of that you’re left looking for a job or a career. Registered apprenticeship gives you the paid work experience and the job on day one, so your education is all related to the job that you’re working and skilling up in.
What salary can apprentices expect to earn after completing an apprenticeship?
The (Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board) does a report every year, and apprenticeship is always the top performer for that report for the wages outcomes. It’s also important to recognize that, since 80% (of registered apprenticeships are) in the building and construction trades, those (overall high) wages are very specifically tied to the great wages we see in the building and construction trades.
What about salary during the apprenticeship?
The starting wage depends on the occupation completely. We do have all of the same requirements, just as any other employer in Washington state: You can’t pay (apprentices) less than minimum wage, and (the employer has) to meet the other workplace requirements. One of the core components of a registered apprenticeship is called wage progression — as (the apprentice’s) skills and abilities increase, so do their wages.
Which apprenticeship programs in Washington are currently the most competitive to get into?
At a high level, it’s the skilled building trades occupations. A buzzword in apprenticeship is always electrician. It’s also one of the higher wages, and typically the demand is tied to the higher wages. In (Washington), that’s primarily the (union-backed) building trades — the higher skilled degrees (such as) plumber, pipefitter, sheet metal worker.
The high-wage, high-demand apprenticeship programs can have waitlists that are a year or two long. But it’s also important to stay grounded in the fact that a registered apprenticeship starts with a job.
