Of Course, Youth Can Be Apprentices

Of Course, Youth Can Be Apprentices!

While many employers in the past could not have imagined 17-year-olds on their factory floor, in their hospital or in their law office, those employers who have hired youth apprentices in the last few years cannot imagine their company without them. We love this quote from an employer featured in New America 's helpful infographic on youth apprenticeship :

“Apprenticeships help us plan ahead. We need to focus not just on the jobs we have today, but also jobs and skills three, five, and 10 years from now.”?

Youth apprenticeship doesn’t just benefit employers--it's a viable pathway for young adults to develop their careers, too! Apprenticeship allows young adults to earn money, build professional relationships, and earn real skills—in class, online, and in the workplace.????

Adopting a few key strategies could help spread these benefits to young people, industry, and the wider economy.?

Keep expanding the range of programs—and sustain them. We have seen a whole range of new programs emerge in non-traditional sectors like healthcare, technology, and education. Most have been seeded with federal grant resources and require models that will help them endure. Programs designed for young people, many of whom continue to live at home, can be simpler to resource and sustain.??

Recruit apprentices early. Apprentices in the US are generally much older than in competitor countries—the average age at entry is 29.? (In Germany and Switzerland, it is 15-16; in the UK the average age is rising, but most apprentices start between ages 16 and 24.) A few states have robust programs for young people—South Carolina and Wisconsin are examples. We can do much more to scale these opportunities, benefiting learners and firms alike.?

Offer academic credit. Linking credentials through degree apprenticeship partnerships between colleges and universities is another opportunity to achieve mutual benefit. This means that young people don’t have to choose between vocational training and higher education—they can do both (often without debt). It also means that employers can draw on highly-skilled internal talent for advanced positions—decreasing hiring and recruiting costs.??