Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking about Jobs for the Future’s recent analysis of Registered Apprenticeship participation and outcomes for people ages 16 to 24. While we were excited to see that participation for this age group had more than doubled from 2010 to 2020, we were equally dismayed to see troubling and persistent disparities in representation and wage outcomes across gender and racial lines.
One thing is clear: It takes intentional design and implementation to create apprenticeship programs that reach and support people from a wide range of populations. An intentional approach is essential. We cannot continue practices and programs that lock out millions of Americans.
We have seen the promise that intentional program design can have in creating equitable outcomes. For example, at South Carolina’s Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeships (CRYA) program, which is led by Trident Technical College, 45% of the 535 students who have entered apprenticeships over the years have been non-white and 37% have been female. CRYA is supported by New America’s Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, a coalition of organizations (including JFF) that works to support state and local efforts to develop equitable youth apprenticeship programs.
This National Apprenticeship Week, JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning is calling on employers, policymakers, and system stakeholders to come together to improve Registered Apprenticeship outcomes for apprentices of all ages and backgrounds.
New to apprenticeship? Learn more about this earn-and-learn model and see why the number of new programs increased by more than 50% from 2015 to 2021 in industries ranging from the trades to advanced manufacturing, health care, professional services, information technology, and more.
Policymakers: Lead the Way in Equitable Apprenticeship
While employers are ultimately responsible for ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship, policymakers have an important role to play in driving a more widespread and sustainable shift in these programs. In this op-ed, Deborah Kobes outlines several tactics federal, state, and local policymakers can implement to drive needed change.
How to Build Digital Talent With Earn-and-Learn Training
Earn-and-learn models of training and development are a powerful way to meet digital talent needs, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. This toolkit from JFF and the SkillUp Coalition helps employers harness the potential of apprenticeship and other earn-and-learn training programs.