Registered Apprenticeship Reciprocity Policy

The State of Tennessee shall grant reciprocity to a Registered Apprenticeship program which has been registered by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship (USDOL-OA) or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) for federal purposes if the following condi8ons are met:

• A Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor seeking reciprocity in the State of Tennessee must attest that the program and individual apprentices who will work in Tennessee are properly registered with the USDOL-OA or another recognized SAA.
• Program sponsors seeking reciprocal approval must also meet the wage and hour provisions and the apprenticeship ratio standards of the State of Tennessee in accordance with 29 CFR § 29.13(b)(7).

Once these conditions are satisfied, the Tennessee Office of Apprenticeship shall accord reciprocal approval for State and Federal purposes to apprentices and apprenticeship programs that are registered in other States by the State Registration Agency or Office of Apprenticeship if the apprenticeship program sponsor requests such reciprocity.

The procedure for approving reciprocity requests is outlined as follows:

1. The Registered Apprenticeship program  sponsor  seeking reciprocity must send the attached ‘Petition for Reciprocity’ to Tennessee’s Director of Apprenticeship, Shalondria Shaw, via email to shalondria.shaw@tn.gov.
2. Upon receipt of the request for reciprocity, the Tennessee Office of Apprenticeship shall forward to the USDOL-OA or SAA Director, as appropriate, the form, which he/she shall assist the program sponsor in completing for prompt return to the Tennessee Office of Apprenticeship. The form shall certify that the program sponsor is operating a Registered Apprenticeship program and shall assure that the program, once operating in Tennessee, will comply with the standards set forth in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 29, Subpart A, and 30. This includes certifying that program sponsors seeking reciprocal approval meet the wage and hour provisions and apprenticeship ratio standards of Tennessee as required by 29 CFR § 29.13(b)(7)
3. Within 45 days after receipt of a properly completed petition, the Tennessee Office of Apprenticeship will review and grant reciprocity.
4. The Tennessee Office of Apprenticeship reserves the right to void such reciprocity should it become evident the program is no longer operating in compliance with any/all applicable state and federal apprenticeship law.