The Nexus Method is a workforce strategy that improves how Registered Apprenticeship works for both employers and workers, without requiring legislative or regulatory change. It centers on “advanced standing,” a provision that evaluates an apprentice’s existing skills and places them at the appropriate stage of a program with commensurate pay. While this approach has long been underused due to limited resources and implementation strategies, lessons from a decade of skills-first hiring offer a path forward. At the same time, apprenticeship provides the structure needed to support and integrate skills-first hires on the job. Recent federal guidance removing the 50 percent cap on advanced standing creates new opportunities to apply this method at scale, which will be explored in this session.