Apprenticeships exist in many sectors to help businesses develop highly skilled employees, reduce turnover rates, diversify the workforce, and lower recruitment costs through a structured process of professional development and internal promotion. In cooperation with states, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) oversees the nation's apprenticeship system. A Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is a model of apprenticeship that has been validated by the DOL. Pennsylvania's registered Early Childhood Education (ECE) Apprenticeship program is a grassroots approach to address workforce shortages and advance the qualifications of the existing ECE workforce. The goal of the program is to help employed ECE professionals move beyond the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential to attain an ECE associate (AA) or bachelor's (BA) degree and earn higher wages. Apprentices are offered educational supports and mentoring throughout the process. Relevant work experience counts toward credit release, which expedites the process to complete the degree.