CAEL’s Work on Apprenticeship Pathways Helps Inform Urban Institute Apprenticeship Degrees Report

A new publication from the Urban Institute explores apprenticeship degree programs, which it describes as a “bespoke model and emerging innovation.” Setting the Stage for Scaling Apprenticeship Degrees reports that fewer than 10% of colleges and universities offer them.

Thanks to CAEL, which is cited in the report, Renton Technical College is among that vanguard. In 2024, CAEL collaborated with RTC and the Machinists Institute to create a registered apprenticeship pathway that connects trade-specific training with general education curricula so that students receive an associate degree upon completion of their apprenticeship—at no additional cost to them in time or money.

From Either/Or to Both/And

The Machinists Institute apprenticeship degree pathway is one of the clearest examples of bridging the training and education divide. The trade, workforce development, and postsecondary education systems have long operated in silos, but CAEL has been building cross-sector collaboration among colleges, employers, workforce development and training practitioners, and policymakers. Aligning these stakeholders is essential to maximizing the positive impact of integrating hands-on and theoretical learning.

Apprenticeship degree pathways avoid the dilemma of having to choose one pathway over another, a critical factor in CAEL’s mission to replace career dead ends with extended pathways. Rather than locking someone into an unrewarding or unfulfilling career, extended pathways reimagine "either/or" predicaments as "both/and" opportunities.

Linking Learning and Work

The Urban Institute report covers several additional advantages of apprenticeship degree programs. Grounded in work-based learning, they keep curricula attuned to the latest workforce needs, a quality increasingly demanded by prospective students. Following credential completion, this direct work experience can ease transitions into the workplace.

Because apprentices “earn and learn,” the pathways offset (if not eliminate, as is the case with the Machinists Institute apprenticeship degree pathway) the costs of college. Apprenticeship degree programs also make degree attainment more inclusive and accessible by broadening sources of college credit. Through recognizing the academic value of experiential learning, they can serve students who might not otherwise have considered a degree.

The value of that degree might not be immediately apparent. Some apprentices may not want (or need) a college degree upon program completion. But the additional credential provides an "insurance policy" that can boost access to future forks in their career paths, for example, management or roles that may be less physically demanding, the Urban Institute also notes.

For employers, pairing degrees with apprenticeships can attract a wider pool of talent, including young people and those from underrepresented groups who value academic credentials, deepening leadership benches. Education partners stand to gain enrollment boosts and improve labor market outcomes tracked against their degree programs.

Underutilized, but Poised To Rise

Despite their many benefits, apprenticeship degrees are not only underutilized, they also lack a uniform definition, according to the Urban Institute. That ambiguity is driven by differences in how strong—or tenuous—links between apprenticeship and degree programs can be.

The Urban Institute cites another report, a 2025 publication by Apprenticeships for America, that charts these differences. Learning from the Field: Making Apprenticeship Degrees Work at Scale categorizes the programs into a progression of four approaches. They range from “apprenticeship linked degrees” to “apprenticeship-embedded degrees.”

The former establishes crosswalks between apprenticeship learning and course credits, offering a headstart to apprentices who may decide to pursue a degree after their apprenticeship. The latter goes significantly beyond this, utilizing a competency-based approach to weave college course requirements directly into daily on-the-job training. The result is a journeyworker designation delivered in tandem with a degree.

In its own report, the Urban Institute suggests the following standardized definition:

Apprenticeship degrees possess all the hallmarks of any registered apprenticeship: they are industry-led programs that offer paid work experience with wage progression, on-the-job learning, and supplemental education. Upon completion, apprentices earn both a nationally recognized journeyworker credential and an accredited associate, bachelor's, or master's degree.

Innovation Through Coordination

CAEL’s registered apprenticeship pathway with the Machinists Institute and RTC easily meets this threshold. In fact, the AFA report highlights the pathway as an example of the “apprenticeship-embedded” model, which it distinguishes as the most innovative of the four. According to the AFA, this approach to linking apprenticeships and degrees “unlocks the full potential of work-based learning by formally recognizing and credentialing competencies developed through real-world experience.”

While AFA encourages institutions to pursue the apprenticeship-embedded model, it cautions that this approach is the most disruptive, with a labor-intensive design process involving syllabus adjustments and faculty training.

The Urban Institute report also signals this challenge. It identifies coordination among multiple diverse stakeholders, including educators, accreditors, employers, apprenticeship registration agencies, and workforce intermediaries, among the key areas to address if apprenticeship degrees are to be scaled.

CAEL’s ability to meet this critical need was evident in its partnership with RTC and the Machinists Institute, exemplifying the impact of proactive approaches to credit for prior learning. CAEL worked closely with RTC faculty to vet Machinists curricula, crosswalking the apprenticeship program to general education requirements at RTC. The appraisal and alignment process included reviewing syllabi and making curriculum changes to ensure apprenticeship learning outcomes met RTC requirements.

“CAEL's documentation was meticulously and clearly laid out, effectively crosswalking the learning outcomes from RTC's classes, so it was easy to see where all degree requirements were met,” said Dr. Sarah Wakefield, dean of general education and transfer at RTC.

Both/and Part Two: Academic Rigor and Accelerated Degree Pathways

The topic of academic rigor has a perennial presence in discussions of any effort to connect college credit to sources outside of traditional coursework. Some experts interviewed for the Urban Institute report perceived accrediting bodies as barriers to apprenticeship degrees, while others did not see them as obstacles.

Representatives of CAEL, who were among the experts the Urban Institute interviewed for the report, affirmed that accrediting bodies play a key role in upholding academic standards. However, they stressed that collaborating with accreditors can ensure that apprenticeship degree programs comply with academic standards.

“CAEL has found that accrediting bodies do not view apprenticeship degree programs as inherently incompatible with established quality standards; rather, as with any new program, their role is to confirm that apprenticeship degree programs meet applicable observable quality criteria and required outcomes,” the report notes.

CAEL’s approach to developing the registered apprenticeship pathway is scalable and adaptable to other college systems in the country, particularly those that share an accreditation authority. In fact, CAEL and the Machinists Institute are currently working on replicating this model with other colleges in Washington.

Setting the Stage for Scaling Apprenticeship Degrees is available at urban.org.