The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (“TIRAP”) is a joint venture of the Department of Labor, government agencies, and the telecommunications industry members invested in improving workplace safety, addressing industry workforce needs, and providing employment and advancement opportunities. The TIRAP is governed by By-Laws that provide for administration through an executive board. The executive board is comprised of individual members of the telecommunications industry who are nominated and elected by a defined group of telecommunications industry trade associations. For the current list of TIRAP executive board members and advisers, click here.
The TIRAP board is responsible for:
- Developing and updating the work process for the program;
- Reviewing and approving the training programs of individual employers;
- Developing evaluations for determining an apprentice’s progress and providing credit for past experience/education; and
- Coordinating and consulting with the DoLOA and other partners on program improvement.
TIRAP is also comprised of committees of subject matter experts to assist in the ongoing development of the program, including committees on:
- Safety;
- Quality;
- Communications;
- Technology; and
- Workforce Development.
While the TIRAP coordinates with the DoL on establishing the standards of the apprenticeship program and reviews/approves a company’s apprenticeship program as consistent with the TIRAP requirements, the individual company’s apprenticeship program is registered directly with the DoL or other applicable agency and the company directly engages apprentices. The TIRAP board continues to monitor the individual programs and inform the participating companies of improvements or modifications in the program.