WILL Empower Apprenticeship Program

Backgrounder for Host Organization

More info at: www.willempower.org

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The WILL Empower Apprenticeship Program is a recruitment and on-ramp platform for women’s and non-binary people’s labor leadership.  This program recruits recent college graduates and/or rank-and-filers and places them in 3 to 12-month staff apprenticeships with unions and worker organizations across the nation. 

The apprentices may work in a variety of capacities, including organizing, research, communications and policy.  It includes formal mentorship, both within and outside of the host organization. 

The host site APPLICATIONS are due April 30, 2024. The apprenticeships will begin in the Fall of 2024. There will be an orientation in September.  Start and end dates are flexible.  The apprenticeship can be in-person, remote or hybrid.  

What do I need to do to express an interest in having an apprentice?

Fill out the application. The form asks you to consider the apprentice’s role, geographic location, mentor, and duration of the apprenticeship.

Is this only for unions?

No. It is open to any worker organization or economic justice organization.  In addition, unions and organizations at all levels (local, regional, national) are encouraged to apply.

How long will the apprenticeship last?

The apprenticeship can last between 3 and 12 months, depending on what the host organization and the apprentice each need.  

How much does hosting an apprentice cost?

The base cost is $9043. This covers the salary for an apprentice that starts at $20 an hour, for a 35-hour week, for at least 12 weeks, and includes the FICA employer match. Host organizations hire the apprentices directly. 

WILL Empower does have subsidies available on a case-by-case basis. We hope that many unions and organizations will not need to tap the full subsidy. In addition, the host organization would need to decide whether it would offer any other benefits, such as health insurance. WILL Empower is open to partnering with organizations to fundraise further support for an apprenticeship.

Can I hire a WILL Empower apprentice as an independent contractor?

Host organizations should hire WILL Empower apprentices as regular employees, not as self-employed independent contractors who receive a 1099 form to file taxes. 

Do you provide health care or housing?

No, we do not provide health care or other benefits, or housing.  If possible, the apprentice would access benefits through the host organization. 

How do you recruit apprentice candidates?

We advertise widely, and work through unions, worker organizations, universities and economic justice organizations to spread the word.  Apprentices then fill out an application, and we interview a select few.  From those interviewed, we make the best matches with available apprenticeship placements. 

Does the host organization get a say in which apprentice we get?

The host site has the final say in who serves as their apprentice. We will work with you to make sure the candidate is a good match, including setting up an organizational interview. Often, we can offer multiple candidates to choose from.  

What is required of me as the point of contact?

You would either serve as the organizational mentor to the apprentice, or designate a person in your organization as an internal mentor.  You will need to develop a work plan and discuss the apprentice’s progress with WILL Empower.

What does the host organization gain?

The apprenticeships offer organizations the chance to bring entry-level staff with untapped talent who are at the beginning of their careers.  Apprentices come from a diverse pool of candidates. The host benefits from WILL Empower’s comprehensive and strategic recruiting and vetting system. The apprenticeship allows an organization to test out a new potential staffer, recruit fresh talent, and bring in women and non-binary people with new ideas and energy. In addition, organizations benefit from WILL Empower’s mentorships of the apprenticeship as well as our ongoing assessments throughout the program.

Is this only for Washington, D.C.?

No, the apprenticeships are based across the country. 

For more info contact: willempower.labor[at]gmail.com or www.willempower.org

APPRENTICE HOST SITES 2018-2023

APALA

Bargaining for the Common Good 

Caring Across Generations 

Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO) / Rutgers

Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle TN

Chicago Jobs with Justice

Communications Workers of America (CWA)

Grassroots Collaborative

Inland Empire CLC

International Labour Organization (ILO-USA)

Jobs to Move America

Jobs with Justice

Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor / Georgetown

Memphis CLC

MO Jobs with Justice

National Black Workers Center

NC State AFL-CIO

Power Switch Action

Racine Educators United (NEA) 

Rutgers Faculty Adjunct Union (AAUP) 

Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) 

Street Vendor Project (Urban Justice Center)

Teamsters

UNITE HERE 

UNITE HERE Local 25  

United Campus Workers / CWA 

Workers’ Rights Consortium