Registered apprenticeship has the weight of the federal government behind it, which means it comes with a fair amount of official language. Here’s what that language actually means in practice, stripped of the bureaucratic framing.
The core structure
A DOL Registered Apprenticeship is a formal agreement between three parties: the apprentice (you), the employer sponsor (a company that hires and pays you), and the program sponsor (an organization like Infotech Academy that registers the program with the DOL and manages the training framework).
The employer commits to giving you real work, real wages, and a qualified mentor. The program sponsor commits to delivering the Related Technical Instruction — the formal coursework and certifications — at no cost to you. The DOL registers the whole arrangement and issues a nationally recognized Certificate of Completion when you finish. You commit to showing up and doing the work.
On-the-job learning hours
Most IT registered apprenticeships require 2,000 or more on-the-job hours — roughly a full year of full-time work. These hours happen in your employer’s actual environment: their help desk, their network, their security operations, whatever role you were matched for. You’re not doing simulated exercises. You’re solving the real problems your employer faces, under the supervision of someone who knows the answers.
Related Technical Instruction hours
RTI is the classroom half of the equation — typically 144 or more hours per year. In most modern IT apprenticeship programs, RTI is delivered online and structured around the certification path your apprenticeship track requires. It’s often done during personal time rather than work hours, though some employers build dedicated learning time into the schedule.
The RTI is where the certifications come from. By the time an IT apprentice finishes the program, they’ve typically earned CompTIA A+, Security+, or Network+ — sometimes more than one — as part of the structured training, not as an afterthought.
Wages and wage progression
You’re employed from day one. Apprentice wages start at a defined rate — above minimum wage, typically $15–$20 per hour depending on the employer and track — and increase at defined milestones throughout the program. The wage progression is built into the apprenticeship agreement upfront, so you know what you’ll be earning at month six, month twelve, and month eighteen before you start.
The DOL Certificate of Completion
When you finish the program, the DOL issues a Certificate of Completion that’s recognized by employers nationally. It’s not a state-specific credential that loses meaning when you cross a border. If you complete an IT registered apprenticeship in Texas and apply for a role in another state, that certificate means something to the hiring manager reading your resume.
The Infotech Academy RAP is the registration framework for IT apprenticeships in Texas. The full structure above — employer matching, RTI, DOL certification — is what’s included. The process starts at infotechacademy.online/rap.