Caliber’s Technician Apprentice Program (TAP) launched in 2022, at the time employing apprentices in 33 states, with the greatest numbers in California, Colorado, Florida and Texas. The program has since expanded and now offers apprenticeships in all 41 states Caliber serves.

An increasing number of corporations in a variety of skilled trades have begun offering apprenticeship opportunities, leading to increased attention and support from governmental organizations at the Federal level. And while economic thought leaders have begun to extoll the value of these programs for the nation as a whole, Caliber recently performed a first-of-its-kind, highly-targeted, in-depth study of the comprehensive impact of Caliber’s TAP, specifically.

As part of its partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, Caliber underwent an in-depth analysis by workforce data and intelligence industry-leader Lightcast to determine the value TAP brings to the individuals, the economy, and businesses in the state of Texas.

Advantages for the Apprentice

Caliber’s TAP is an initiative that pairs willing and tested apprentice autobody technicians with experienced technician mentors in a real-time, live repair shop environment. Unlike traditional post-secondary education, apprenticeship opportunities offer entry into a career that is not only free of educational charges but pays the student for their labor during their apprenticeship.

• Apprentices earn approximately 29% more per hour than the Texas state average for entry-level positions (as reported by ZipRecruiter)

• $14.59 per hour increased earnings, average, for graduates who complete their TAP training and remain employed at Caliber, as compared to the average pre-program earnings, an average increase of 114% (Caliber press release)

• Upon graduation, apprentices have the opportunity to join an industry where the average salary is $54,530 per year (BLS), increasing to $72,000 with 6-9 years of experience (I-CAR)

• The program provides paid training at no charge to the apprentice for their education at Caliber (Caliber Report for the Texas Workforce Commission)

• Caliber provides access to all tools needed to complete the apprenticeship—a benefit not available at many trade schools (Caliber Report for the Texas Workforce Commission)

• Full-time benefits, including medical, dental, vision and retirement programs, offered from day 1 (Caliber Report for the Texas Workforce Commission)

• During the apprenticeship, Caliber covers the cost of all training and certifications, including I-CAR courses and welding certifications (Caliber Report for the Texas Workforce Commission)

• $540,332 total potential increase in lifetime earnings for graduates, according to the Lightcast study

• Apprentices gain numerous transferable skills and access to career pathways that provide even more opportunities to increase lifetime earnings, including specializations in advanced autobody materials, EV repair, Service Advisor estimating, ADAS calibrations, automotive technology, and more

• Potential opportunities to take on leadership roles, including center General Manager or even Regional Manager

Economic Benefits at the State & Local Levels

Through the partnership with Lightcast, Caliber set out to quantify how paid apprenticeship programs benefit state and local economies by generating tax revenue, reducing reliance on social services, and boosting business earnings. As apprentices gain skilled employment, they contribute more in taxes and require less public assistance, while businesses see increased productivity and higher revenues, driving local economic growth. Ultimately the study revealed that TAP benefited the state and local economy in the following ways:

• 848 apprenticeship jobs created, from 2022-2024, including 559 who had completed the program or were still enrolled as of 2024

• Each TAP graduate technician can add over 200 vehicles of repair capacity annually, on average, according to Caliber internal data; this reduces wait times, backlogs, rental car expenses, ultimately reducing customer and insurer costs

• $22.1 million in annual income added to the state economy, above and beyond what graduates might otherwise would have earned

• $39,542 added income—per apprentice—for Texas businesses in just one year

• $113.2 million added to the state economy over the lifetimes of these 848 TAP apprentices, as a result of higher lifetime earnings, increased spending power and increased business output

• A $1.9 million reduction in total demand for government-funded services over the course of the working lifetimes of these 848 TAP apprentices

• $504.7 million in added business income over working lifetimes of these Texas TAP graduates

• $5.9 million total social savings related to health, the justice system and income assistance over the working lifetimes of these TAP graduates

In total, this equates to $1.8 billion in potential total social benefits, or $3.2 million per apprentice. This number includes the improved economic outlook for each individual graduate, increased tax revenue, decreased social support spending, increased revenue for Texas businesses and potential total increased salary of Texas TAP graduates, over the course of their working careers.

Expanded Impact

The Lightcast analysis of TAP impact was limited in scope to the state of Texas and just the first two years of the initiative. Caliber now offers apprenticeships in 41 states.  

The program is concluding its fourth year and entering its fifth. Nationally, over 2,000 apprentices have graduated from TAP. As apprentices graduate and eventually become experienced technicians, they can each repair an average of over 200 vehicles, per year. This equates to a cumulative impact of over 400,000 annual vehicles, helping prevent backlogs before they happen and ensuring continued capacity as existing technicians approach retirement. 

And because Caliber matches apprenticeship recruitment to meet market demand, TAP is adding repair capacity and creating jobs specifically where they are most needed.