The following represents what basic provisions must be included in the Occupational Standards of any apprenticeship or STRA Program.

1. Occupations: Determine what occupation or type of job will be covered by the program. This could be an occupation with standards already registered with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, or it could be a new apprenticeable occupation.
2. Work Processes (Appendix 2): List all major on-the-job training skills or processes for each occupation separately. These processes should develop and train the employer's desired skilled worker.
3. Allocation of on-the-job training time (Appendix 1): Determine the relative difficulty and importance of each work process or skill, and then allocate, in hours, the amount of on-he-job training time the apprentice is expected to work on that specific skill or process to become proficient.
4. Term of apprenticeship: Term of an apprenticeship refers to the amount of on-the-job training hours designated for program completion. Many apprenticeable occupations have well recognized terms of apprenticeship. If the occupation does not have a BAT recognized apprenticeship program in place, and you do not know of a standard practice for the occupation, you can list all the work processes or skills to be learned on the job, then list for each process the number of hours it will most likely take an apprentice to become proficient in that skill or process. Next, total the hours, and convert them into months and years. This will give you a fairly accurate idea of the term of apprenticeship for that specific occupation.
5. Apprentice qualifications: All apprentice applicants should be given equal consideration based on qualifications for the occupation. Physical ability to perform the occupation and equal opportunity is standard for all occupations. Additional considerations may include high school course work or vocational instruction, occupational work experience, attendance record, or letters of recommendation.
6. Related Classroom Instruction: Apprenticeship programs involve learning skills on the job, but also require classroom instruction related to the occupation. The Secretary of Labor recommends a minimum of 144 hours of related instruction per year. This is predicated on 2 hours per night, twice a week during a 36 week school year, usually provided by the local public school or technical school. It is recommended that the high school and post high school occupational instructor be consulted about appropriate occupational related instruction classes and curriculum. If there is no vocational or technical school in the community, contact the State Director of Vocational Education at the state capital for assistance.
7. Number of Apprentices: The number of apprentices for a specific occupation allowed at any one business or company, is determined by the ratio of apprentices to skilled workers. Such a ratio is based on the number of skilled workers, facilities, and proper and up-to-date equipment or machinery available for employing and training apprentices, future employment opportunities, and the existence of a business Equal Opportunity Plan. Since apprentices learned from a skilled worker, the quality of training depends most on the number of skilled workers ability and availability to instruct apprentices. It is seldom that a ratio of more than 1 apprentice to 3 skilled workers is feasible.
8. Apprentice wage: A common method of determining an apprentice's wage is the use of a percentage of the skilled workers pay rate. In most cases, apprentice's wage starts at approximately half what the skilled worker's pay rate is for the same occupation within the company. There should be a progressive wage increase schedule, with increases occurring at least every 6 months. Scheduled wage increases throughout the terms of apprenticeship provide both a monetary incentive and reward for increased progress and performance on the job. During the final period of the apprenticeship, the apprentice should reach 85-90% of the wage of a skilled worker for the same occupation within the company or business.
9. Supervision of apprentices: Apprentices are customarily under the immediate supervision of a skilled worker to whom they have been assigned. For larger businesses with large apprenticeship programs, an apprentice supervisor is designated or employed on a part or full time basis, and assigned the responsibility for carrying out the activities involving the training and supervision of apprentices. In smaller businesses, this responsibility is basically that of the employer.
10. Apprenticeship Agreement: All programs should provide for the signing of an Apprenticeship Agreement by each apprentice, the parent or guardian of the apprentice if the apprentice is under the age of 18, the proper person of the business for registration purposes, and the appropriate state or federal BAT agency representative serving the area where the program is established. The Apprenticeship Agreement should contain the following:
• Name, home address, social security number, and birth date of the apprentice.
• Name of employer or business.
• Terms of the apprenticeship and length of probationary period.
• Wage schedule.
• Related Technical Instruction information (method, source, and number of hours required per year).
• Special provisions such as credit for previous experience.
• Signatures, including the employer, the apprentice (parent signature if apprentice is under 18), and BAT representative. When applicable, union approval and/or apprenticeship committee approval may be necessary.