Business is recognizing that the associate degree is a necessity in high technology fields. Innovative practices link businesses with community colleges, allowing apprentices to gain basic job skills and a higher education. A research study explored three industries and their relationship with community colleges: automotive, construction, and maritime. The research design, a structured case study, developed a theoretical model against which data collected was analyzed. A national search for businesses and colleges cooperatively engaging in apprenticeships was undertaken. College participation varied from program to program. Several significant model components were suggested across industries and geographic regions that can serve as catalysts for community college cooperative apprenticeship program development. It was concluded that apprenticeship is a mechanism for bringing together human and capital resources. Dual enrollment of apprentices in associate degree programs should be promoted because it is the most cost-effective mechanism for organized labor to provide worker training and control its ultimate delivery and quality. (NLA)