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Writer's pictureEva Mitchell

Advancing Outcomes for Youth: Optimal Designs for Pre-Apprenticeships

This week, November 17-23, 2024, is National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). As an industry-led coalition, the Coalition for Career Development (CCD) Center recognizes the value apprenticeship offers to ALL learners and industries across the country. 

A young adult learning on-the-job from a mentor.

“We cannot afford to waste the potential of our ‘underestimated’ populations. We will raise all boats or sink together,” says CCD Center CEO Eva Mitchell. South Central College President and CCD Center Board Chair Dr. Annette Parker agrees: “if we are going to be globally competitive, we must have a skilled workforce for the future. Workforce is now the number one issue as a nation.” 


To attract, retain, and advance the next generation of talent, we need to reach adolescents, teens, and young adults as early as possible to spare them the potential snare of poverty. We need to reach those who have yet to earn a living wage or risk the opportunity to achieve the economic and social mobility that all working adults deserve in a prosperous nation.


But how can we build this skilled workforce and ensure every American can contribute to our local, national, and global economies? By designing and offering high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs for ALL youth and young adults.


What Is an Apprenticeship?


An apprenticeship combines on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. Apprentices earn a wage from day one, gaining hands-on experience under the guidance of skilled mentors while also developing the theoretical knowledge essential for long-term success.

 

At the CCD Center, we believe that every single career should offer “pre-apprenticeship” opportunities, including careers outside of trades, which traditionally have not used apprenticeship to develop talent. If our young people and adults have the chance to learn and earn at the same time, America would experience a shift.  

 

Many limit the definition of a pre-apprenticeship program to be:

  • A training model

  • For individuals without all the academic skills or competencies to be an apprentice

  • Designed to help pre-apprentices meet established minimum selection criteria to become an apprentice

  • Design to meet program sponsors’ entry apprenticeship standards.

 

Key here, however, is that opportunities that meet the federal definition of a pre-apprenticeship are eligible to receive funding. 


What Does the Data Show?


Among approximately 26.9 million young adults ages 19 to 24, 342,016 participate in Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and 154,748 (45%) participate in RAPs in high-demand, high-wage pathways. Notably, only 27,712 young adults complete RAPs and 15,118 (54%) complete RAPs in high-demand, high-wage pathways. 

Data also reveal that a majority of high-demand, high-wage RAP participants and completers are white males. Further, only 1% of people with disabilities participate in and complete these opportunities.

 

(Check back soon for our 2024 Report on the Condition of Career Readiness in the United States for more data on this topic!)

 

While access to RAPs is far from equitable, those who do pursue and complete RAPs in high-demand, high-wage pathways earn almost three times the median average hourly wage as compared to young adults who do not. These findings prove that while Registered Apprenticeships align with high-demand, high-wage pathways and offer access to living wages, there are few young adults who actually engage in these opportunities, with markedly lower engagement among underestimated populations (e.g., women; Black, Latinx, and Indigenous young adults; and those with disabilities).

 

RAPs in high-demand, high-wage pathways include:

  • Information, Manufacturing, Professional-Scientific & Technical Services

  • Finance and Insurance

  • Management of Companies and Enterprises

  • Construction

  • Healthcare and Social Assistance


The CCD Center’s Criteria for High-Quality Pre-Apprenticeships: A Framework to Meet and Exceed Federal Standards


“Professional aspiration should not be limited by a chance of exposure,” highlights Mitchell. “Exposure is not created equal, experiences are not created equal, and the younger [people are exposed to and can experience career pathways], the more likely they are to go into the field.”


Despite the clear benefits of apprenticeships, access to these programs has historically been uneven. To build a skilled, diverse workforce of the future, we must address these disparities and ensure that pre-apprenticeship opportunities are available to ALL as early as possible. 

Criteria 1: Meet Quality Assurance Guidelines

Many entities offer standards for quality assurance. The CCD Center’s Advisory Council reviewed the many credentialing and certification bodies and published the “Quality Assurance Guidelines For National Industry Certification Bodies.” The report outlines criteria that will support ALL learners in accessing pre-apprenticeship experiences, likely their first opportunity to explore careers.

Criteria 2: Follow the Five Pillar Solutions Framework

Criteria 3: Measure Outputs and Outcomes

Criteria 4: Intentionally Include Diverse Participants

Apprenticeships: Powering a Resilient, Future-Ready Workforce


As we look ahead, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships stand out as a proven solution for building a skilled, adaptable workforce. These programs not only unlock life-changing opportunities for workers but also strengthen our economy, foster innovation, and secure economic and social mobility for ALL.


During NAW and beyond, the CCD Center remains committed to championing these transformative pathways and ensuring they are accessible to everyone as early as possible. Join us in celebrating the power of apprenticeships and making career readiness for ALL the first priority of American education and workforce development.


Check out our recent presentation during the CAEL Annual Conference:




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