Apprenticeship Compliance in 2026: Ratio Rules, Wage Classifications & Training Fund Traps
eBacon
01:23:15
One apprentice over the ratio can cost you full journeyman back wages.
FREE SESSION
Apprenticeship enforcement is ramping up in every state. The auditors got faster. The rules did not get simpler.
One bad ratio. One unregistered apprentice. One training fund contribution you forgot about. That's all it takes to turn a routine certified payroll review into back wages, penalties, and a genuinely bad week.
Here's the part nobody warns you about: when an apprentice isn't covered right, they get bumped to the full journeyman rate. Retroactively. You eat the difference, sometimes across the whole project. And no, sadly, "good faith" is not a defense that holds up. We checked.
On July 9, two people who live in this stuff every day break down exactly where contractors get nailed in 2026, and how to keep your name off the audit list.
What we're covering:
- The ratio slip that quietly reclassifies your apprentices to journeyman scale
- The wage classification mistakes that trigger full prevailing wage liability
- The training fund contributions everyone forgets until an auditor finds them
- How audits actually start (hint: it's usually your own certified payroll)
- What audit-ready documentation looks like before the request letter shows up
Who should be here: Contractors, payroll managers, and compliance leads on prevailing wage or public works projects.
Got apprentices on any crew? This is for you. Still tracking ratios in a spreadsheet you update after the fact? This is really for you.
60 minutes, including live Q&A. Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording.
Speakers
Shawna Coronado
Host
Shawna Coronado is eBacon’s Digital Content Strategist and the regular host of its webinar series. She helps payroll managers and workforce management teams make sense of complex construction compliance topics, turning regulations into clear, actionable guidance.
Brian Kisil
Director of Solutions Consulting
In his 15th year with eBacon, Brian works with both our operations and sales teams, consulting on the complexities of Certified Payroll. He has over 25 years in the payroll space and enjoys simplifying things for payroll managers and employees alike.
Lori Rivera
Director of PWCA Legal Department
As a former Deputy Labor Commissioner for the State of California’s Department of Industrial Relations, (DIR), Lori brings her DIR expertise to PWCA’s Legal Department. For 13+ years, Lori has adjudicated over 1058 cases for the state. While employed at the DIR, Lori provided labor code guidance to over 30 junior DLSE investigators while assisting DLSE attorneys with legal research, writing legal briefs, and providing expert witness testimony in court. Today, Lori’s formidable expertise places PWCA’s compliance and legal departments head and shoulders above all others.
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Apprenticeship Compliance in 2026: Ratio Rules, Wage Classifications & Training Fund Traps
01:23:15