Employers who wish to train apprentices have to apply to the DOL for a sponsored apprenticeship program and hire their own apprentices.  If they are unable to qualify for a sponsored apprenticeship program, the ABC Merit Apprentice Alliance is an apprentice program for non-union contractors.  This was created for contractors who may not be large enough to have their own sponsored program but wish to bid on Prevailing Wage projects that require apprentices.  The apprentice is trained by the ABC Merit Apprentice Alliance and is indentured to them, but the contractor would hire them and train them.  This alliance was created specifically to manage apprentices for non-union contractors.