Alabama companies can draw incentives for apprenticeship programs

Did you know Alabama offers a tax credit for registered apprenticeship programs?

The tax credit is offered as a part of the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Apprenticeship Alabama initiative. Registered apprenticeships are those that meet national standards for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor that utilize an earn-and-learn model, where apprenticeships earn wages while learning a craft.

Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz U.S. International

Employers are allowed up to a $1,000 income tax credit for each qualifying apprentice, not to exceed five apprentices or $5,000.

There’s no better time to talk apprenticeships than this week, the fourth annual National Apprenticeship Week, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Apprenticeships are at the forefront of conversation across Birmingham. One of the recommendations in this summer’s Building (it) Together report, which centers around workforce development in the Birmingham seven-county region, is to expand co-op and alternate training opportunities, including apprenticeships.

Photo credit: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. UNITED

Companies across the region are employing this strategy, and the statistics are positive – according to the U.S. Department of Labor, 91 percent of apprentices are employed after completing their program.

For more information on registered apprenticeships, click here.

To read more about select companies employing apprenticeship programs across the Birmingham region, click here:

• Apprenticeship program fills much needed CNC positions

• Mercedes-Benz apprenticeship programs seek to fill workforce pipeline

• Birmingham’s Coca-Cola partners with historically black schools to fill workforce pipeline, inspire the next generation