Launch youth apprenticeship opportunities

CONTRIBUTED BY: CAREERWISE USA

Modern youth apprenticeship applies the foundations of a time-tested training methodology to the needs and aspirations of today’s learners, educators and employers. Braiding learning in the classroom and at work, rather than stacking them sequentially, allows learners to amplify and mutually apply the benefits of each. In an apprenticeship, a young learner chooses among defined occupations and enters a structured training program with a company committed to their professional growth. Apprentices do consequential, paid work and are held to the same standards as other employees. At the same time, they receive high school and postsecondary classroom instruction on theory and concepts relevant to the skills they are developing at work; the real-life application of these lessons ignites academic engagement. Youth apprenticeship is typically launched and led by an intermediary organization with the expertise and credibility needed to bring disparate stakeholders together and fill the void created by a long history of siloed education and employment systems. Intermediaries recruit K-12, higher education, and business partners to create apprenticeship opportunities and fill them with student candidates, work with industry to define apprenticeable occupations and create training standards, work with higher education to articulate credit, prepare supervisors and apprentices to work together, and support apprentices as they progress.

How does the strategy create more equitable access and opportunities?

Education and workforce systems rely almost exclusively on a single academic path to success, one which is not equally accessible to all youth aspiring to enter the workforce. High-quality youth apprenticeship is a low-cost entry point into career pathways that lead to good jobs. Youth apprenticeship provides structure and support to students as they navigate a defined set of courses and training that lead toward credits and credentials. Additionally, paid work experiences help students build their professional networks, which are critically important for long-term success, gain credit that can expedite credential attainment, and earn money to support their future education and training. As apprenticeship becomes more recognized, the portability of the associated credentials and relevance in the job market increases. Currently, many youth experiencing poverty are presented with and/or guided to training opportunities that do not result in a postsecondary credential with labor market value. Youth apprenticeship enables options for students that can lead to economic opportunity and mobility.

What outcomes or benefits are associated with the strategy?

• Apprentices receive a portable credential that signals the acquisition of in-demand, occupation-specific competencies, as well as the professional skills needed to succeed in any professional environment. Along the way, they will have graduated high school, with transferable college credits and likely an industry-recognized, occupation-specific credential.

• Apprentices may accept full or part-time work with their employer immediately upon completion. Many completing apprentices enroll in full or part-time post-secondary training, leveraging more robust understanding of their interests and goals than peers who make higher education choices without work experience.

• Apprentices gain foundational communication skills, personal agency and independence while developing impactful professional networks and social capital.

• Employers can recoup their investment in wages while gaining higher employee retention, reducing hiring costs, and improving overall employee morale. Engaging employers in student training and competency development strengthens cross-sector connections and frees up K-12 system time for strengthening fundamentals.

• Evidence suggests youth apprentices can be expected to attain higher post-apprenticeship wages than peers who complete high school but do not attend college

What are the budget implications for implementing the strategy?

Dedicated staff are needed to perform youth apprenticeship intermediary functions, from convening and aligning stakeholders, to developing and maintaining partnerships, to providing direct services and supports to apprentices and employers. Staff capacity is also needed for policy assessment and advocacy, data management and program evaluation and developing and implementing training curricula. These functions can be housed within the infrastructure of an existing organization or shared across multiple partners, including education partners, workforce agencies, employers, and other community partners, such as an intermediary organization. Youth apprenticeship programs are also likely to require software to manage customer relationships and data and to facilitate and assess apprentice learning and performance. The success of larger cohorts within enterprise-level companies can be augmented by the leadership of a dedicated program manager within the business.

Note, there are other state and federal funds that can be leveraged to start youth apprenticeship programs. Beyond Perkins funding, a community college could use HEERF Act dollars to fund tuition for apprentices, or a state could its use GEERS or ARPA set aside to make innovation grants to school districts to bring together regional employers to develop youth apprenticeship “packages” that leverage dual enrollment relationships and are relevant to regional labor markets.