The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) encourages the creation of apprenticeship programs to “attract and retain” veterans.
According to Ogletree Deakins,
- OFCCP said protected veterans must be provided equal opportunity to participate in apprenticeship opportunities and that providing such opportunities can help contractors meet their obligations to recruit and hire protected veterans.
- The guidance comes after OFCCP set the national veteran hiring benchmark at 5.2 percent on March 31, 2024.
The OFCCP updated its guidance regarding the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), which requires federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to recruit and hire protected veterans.
Contractors with written affirmative action programs (AAPs) must either develop their own individualized hiring benchmark or adopt the OFCCP’s national benchmark. On March 31, 2024, OFCCP set the national veterans hiring benchmark at 5.2 percent (a slight decrease from the prior 5.4 percent).
“One of the primary components of an [AAP under VEVRAA] is measuring the effectiveness of outreach and recruitment efforts,” OFCCP stated in the guidance. “OFCCP encourages contractors to consider whether an apprenticeship program would be an effective method for them to recruit and train veterans.” OFCCP also notes that apprenticeship programs are available in a wide range of industries—beyond the traditional construction trades—particularly in high-growth fields, such as healthcare and information technology. Indeed, many companies are effectively integrating apprenticeship programs into their workforce development strategy.
