In August 2021, Josh Studl examined the U.S. Department of Labor's Program Year 2019 WIOA performance summary. Two figures on page 9 caught his attention.
What the report showed
For Wagner–Peyser employment services, the report listed a 36% repeat business customer rate and 7.7% employer penetration. These are 2019 Wagner–Peyser measures, not apprenticeship sponsor retention or Apprentage results.
Studl wondered whether employer administrative workload might contribute to limited participation. That was his hypothesis, not a conclusion established by these two figures.
Relevance for sponsors and intermediaries
Employers are more likely to stay engaged when a program makes their roles and reporting obligations clear. To investigate drop-off, a sponsor should examine its own employer onboarding, OJT sign-off and follow-up records rather than infer causes from national employment-service data.
Apprentage supports the practical side of that work by keeping apprenticeship participation and training records together for sponsors. It does not explain or change the 2019 Wagner–Peyser figures.