How can behavioral insights help us improve the reach and results of apprenticeship programs?

As apprenticeship professionals, we can draw from BI to understand how things like environment, distractions, perceptions of social norms, and information overload impact people’s choices, and then we can use this information to better design our communications, programs, employer engagement efforts, and more to encourage the behaviors we want and see greater impact from our work.

What are some of the behavioral insights that can help us be more effective as we engage employers, potential apprentices, and partners?

• Decision Paralysis. Decisions are hard! More choices might seem like a good thing, but studies show that too many choices add stress and make it harder to choose. How can we apply this insight? Let’s streamline the choices we offer businesses and apprentices. Colorado, for example, simplified and reduced the number of fact sheets available to employers, to make it easier for them to find the information they needed.
• Intention-Action Gap. Following through is difficult for a range of reasons: we tend to act “automatically” so change is hard, we often procrastinate and think we can do it tomorrow (or the next day), and we are easily deterred by anything that feels like a hassle. How can we use this information? We can make it easy for someone to take the next step, e.g., by embedding a direct link or QR code in an email, avoiding jargon or “legalese,” and providing one-on-one support if needed.
• Mental Shortcuts. As much as we might want to think we’re completely rational, we take mental shortcuts when we make decisions. For example, our perceptions are swayed by “anchoring”—meaning that the first piece of information we see becomes the reference point, so the $45 steak feels like a deal when it appears after the $79 lobster on the menu. And we’re social creatures: we want to abide by the social norms in our peer group. How can we use this information in our work? We can tap into a “trusted source” to do outreach and share peer statistics or testimonies that encourage potential sponsors or apprentices to join their peers.

Curious to learn more? Check out the following resources:

• Behavioral Insights & Apprentice Sponsorship: How to Apply Behavioral Insights to Improve Employer Engagement and Expand Apprenticeship, a resource from ICF and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies that applies BI to practical strategies that can have a substantial impact on employer engagement
• Using Behavioral Insights to Advance Registered Apprenticeship, a January 2024 Apprenticeship Professionals Learning Network webinar that provides a great orientation to BI and how to apply them to apprenticeship expansion work
• Behavioral Insights and DOL, a landing page for the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) BI trials and evaluations that includes a practitioner’s playbook and case studies of BI applied to DOL programs

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• Posted by: Jon Vehlow
• Posted in: Apprenticeship