When Apprentices Quit
— By Trade.
Among apprentices who eventually cancelled, when did they leave? The first year is the most critical — here's how each trade compares.
Source: DOL RAPIDS FY26 Q1 Public Use File · dropout timing among cancelled apprentices only, not overall attrition rates
First-Year Dropout Rate — Ranked by Trade
Among apprentices who eventually cancelled — percentage who left within year 1 of starting. Higher % = more of the dropouts quit early.
Note: This does NOT mean a high first-year-dropout trade has worse overall completion rates. A trade where most dropouts quit early may have strong self-selection — people figure out quickly it's not for them, and those who stay are committed.
Full Dropout Timing — All Trades
Percentage of all cancellations for that trade happening in each time window. Each row sums to ~100%.
| Trade | < 6 months | 6–12 months | 12–18 months | 18–24 months | 2–2.5 years | 2.5–3 years | 3–4 years | 4–5 years | > 5 years | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ironworker | 30.1% | 22.5% | 13.4% | 8.4% | 6.2% | 4.5% | 7.4% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 62,882 |
| Electrician | 26.2% | 18.3% | 13.2% | 11.6% | 7.2% | 5.2% | 7.4% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 368,506 |
| HVAC | 25.1% | 17.0% | 13.0% | 9.9% | 8.0% | 5.1% | 8.7% | 6.3% | 6.9% | 11,523 |
| Carpenter | 21.7% | 22.1% | 13.6% | 9.5% | 6.9% | 5.0% | 7.9% | 6.1% | 7.1% | 219,956 |
| Painter | 24.4% | 22.3% | 13.8% | 9.5% | 7.0% | 5.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% | 5.1% | 38,515 |
| Plumber | 23.0% | 19.0% | 13.5% | 9.0% | 7.3% | 5.1% | 8.4% | 5.9% | 8.8% | 99,788 |
| Pipefitter/Steamfitter | 22.3% | 17.4% | 13.5% | 10.6% | 8.1% | 5.7% | 8.2% | 5.9% | 8.3% | 65,814 |
| Bricklayer/Mason | 20.7% | 20.4% | 14.2% | 10.4% | 7.4% | 5.9% | 9.2% | 4.9% | 6.9% | 42,838 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | 25.2% | 18.9% | 12.7% | 9.3% | 7.3% | 5.5% | 8.5% | 5.9% | 6.8% | 46,802 |
| Roofer | 19.2% | 25.5% | 14.9% | 9.3% | 7.4% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 4.3% | 6.3% | 66,538 |
| Operating Engineer | 23.2% | 19.6% | 13.6% | 10.5% | 8.0% | 6.7% | 8.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% | 24,498 |
| Elevator Constructor | 20.9% | 14.3% | 9.4% | 7.1% | 6.4% | 7.0% | 10.9% | 8.1% | 15.7% | 9,856 |
| Boilermaker | 18.3% | 23.2% | 13.7% | 9.0% | 7.1% | 5.8% | 11.8% | 4.5% | 6.5% | 16,706 |
Red shading = first-year dropout window. Blue shading = later cancellations. Darker = higher percentage of that trade's dropouts occurred in that window.
What this data means — and doesn't mean
- • Among those who eventually cancelled, how quickly they left the program
- • Ironworkers and Roofers have the highest first-year dropout concentration — over 50% of their cancellations are in year 1
- • Elevator Constructors and Boilermakers have flatter distributions — dropouts are spread more evenly across the program lifecycle
- • The first 6 months is the most critical window across all trades
- • This is NOT an overall completion or failure rate — see the equity data page for that
- • A high first-year dropout concentration does not mean a trade is harder or worse
- • These rates reflect cancelled apprentices only — the majority who stay past year 1 have significantly higher completion rates
- • State-level variation in dropout timing is not captured here
Methodology
Dropout timing computed from DOL RAPIDS FY26 Q1 Public Use File (5,380,451 records). Timing is approximate — derived from SUSPENDED_DT or EXIT_WAGE_DT relative to START_DT for cancelled apprentices. Only cancelled (not active or completed) apprentices are included. The percentage in each bin reflects the share of that trade's total cancellations that occurred in that time window. Data covers 2010–2023 registration cohorts.