Understand the RAPIDS architecture: RAPIDS is the DOL ETA case management system for the 25 federally-administered states; SAA states maintain their own systems and batch-upload to the SAA data portal monthly
For federally-administered states, data entry occurs directly in the RAPIDS web UI at https://rapids.doleta.gov/; there is no public REST API—programmatic access requires ETA coordination for bulk import
Prepare apprentice enrollment records in the required format: Social Security Number (encrypted/hashed per ETA guidance), apprentice name, sponsor RAPIDS ID, occupation RAPIDS code, start date, OJT hours, and related technical instruction (RTI) hours
For SAA-administered states, submit standardized flat-file extracts (typically CSV with ETA-specified column headers) to the state's designated SAA portal or SFTP endpoint; confirm exact format with the state's Office of Apprenticeship
Report apprentice progress quarterly: OJT hours completed, RTI hours, wage increases per period, and completion or cancellation status with reason code
Verify submission acceptance by cross-checking the Apprenticeship.gov Data and Statistics dashboard (https://www.apprenticeship.gov/data-and-statistics) which refreshes monthly
Known gotchas
RAPIDS does not expose a public REST API; any vendor claiming direct RAPIDS API integration without ETA authorization is misrepresenting their capability
SSN handling in RAPIDS data files is subject to federal PII regulations; files must be transmitted over encrypted channels and SSNs must not appear in unencrypted logs
SAA states use different reporting formats and deadlines than federally-administered states; a single universal data format does not exist—verify with each state's SAA individually
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