The Fitzgerald Act, the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937, authorized federal coordination of apprenticeship programs in the United States Apprenticeship programs must allow equality of opportunity. Training is done in phases, with examinations and pay increases marking the transitions from phase to phase. Apprenticeship is a method of training in which the learner works for a master craftsman. The master profits from the labor of someone interested in the craft, and the apprentice receives both the training and a small income.