Dear reader,
Colleges and universities in the United States are losing students. They call it the enrollment cliff, reflecting the fact that much of the decline in enrollees is structurally tied to long-term demographic shifts the nation is experiencing, as we’ve discussed in this newsletter. But dismay with the U.S. higher education system has been deepening on many fronts.
Enter an ancient model of work force development that largely fell out of favor in the 19th and 20th centuries, but is now making a comeback: the apprenticeship. As we look at the changing experiences of young people in the United States, we asked Emily Lang, who reported on the resurgence of interest in construction jobs among young workers, to help us understand why the number of apprentices has been climbing in recent years.
— Matt Thompson
How many people are pursuing careers through apprenticeships?
Apprenticeships have risen in popularity — especially among young people. There are currently 700,388 workers registered with the Department of Labor. While that represents less than 1 percent of the country’s labor force, the growth in registered workers is significant. Over the past decade, the number of apprentices has risen by 80 percent.
These positions are sought after because they allow participants to learn highly skilled trades, particularly construction and manufacturing, through hands-on training and mentorship, while being paid.
These programs have received federal support since the 1930s, amid rapid industrial changes, when the government established a nationwide program. Since then, the “learn as you earn” model has been advertised as a way for prospective workers to enter a dynamic job market while making a competitive salary — all without needing a four-year degree.
Why are apprenticeships becoming more popular?
Despite the model’s attractiveness, the United States, unlike European countries, has been slow to adopt it. America’s competitive higher education system and an emphasis on four-year degrees as a path to upward mobility has historically placed vocational training in the back seat. Apprenticeships also require a unique structure of support — such as partial funding from employers — that makes the model difficult to sustain without robust policy initiatives.
In past decades, apprenticeship applicants have typically been in their 30s, according to Vinz Koller, a vice president at Jobs for the Future, a work force development nonprofit. But the number of apprentices under the age of 24 has more than doubled since 2016, according to the Labor Department.
Experts have attributed the shift to a number of things. The job market for young college graduates is the bleakest it’s been in years. It’s become harder for young people to land entry-level, white-collar jobs or retail jobs. For many, as youth unemployment continues to rise, college no longer seems to promise a pathway to financial security and career stability. Recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse has found that enrollment in two-year degree and certificate programs continues to grow at a faster pace than enrollment in bachelor programs.
Meanwhile, fears are growing that A.I. may be changing the industries young job seekers are trying to enter. A poll by Harvard University found that a majority of young Americans believe A.I. threatens their professional prospects. Another poll by NBC News found that more Americans no longer think college is worth the expense.
Given these challenges, some people have been redirecting their ambitions. Recently, I became curious about the number of young workers hoping for a shot at construction apprenticeships in New York City. In my reporting, I spoke to dozens of aspiring and current apprentices who cited these realities — A.I., a brutal job market, costs of living — as the reasons they had pursued the trades. Many said it made a lot more sense to get paid while learning a skill rather than pay to earn a degree. Some union leaders I spoke with told me that potential salaries for some apprenticeships graduates could start around $100,000.
Who’s supporting these programs?
Policymakers and nonprofits have increasingly started to see apprenticeships as a potential answer to the problems young workers are facing. According to the Labor Department, apprenticeships can reduce youth unemployment. Over 90 percent of those who complete them stay on as full-time employees.
These programs have drawn bipartisan support. While in office, President Biden gave $244 million to the Labor Department for its program. Under the Trump administration, the Labor Department has announced $85 million in grant funding to support the development of apprenticeships. The administration has stated an ambition of cultivating one million apprentices by 2030, though some experts say that goal does not seem feasible.
State-based opportunities have also proliferated. Some, like Colorado’s, build on models that have demonstrated success in Europe. Pre-apprenticeship programs, which aim to provide young people a small amount of training and then guarantee them direct access to apprenticeship spots, have long been popular in New York, which also offers a tax credit to employers for hiring apprentices.
Opportunities for apprenticeship are reaching industries like tech and health care, and recruiters are turning up at high school career fairs. The rise of artificial intelligence is also fueling interest: A report from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology found that from 2013 through 2023, apprenticeships in technical A.I. jobs grew by 250 percent per year. Policy influencers point to A.I. apprenticeships as being a shorter pathway to rapidly fill the skills gap in the industry.
Colleges are adapting, too. Inside Higher Ed reported that some higher education institutions were helping connect students with apprenticeships: The institutions don’t see apprenticeships as competition, but as a post-graduation career path.
What can I check out next?
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Talmon Joseph Smith, a business reporter for The Times, took a look at how people are securing apprenticeships, but then struggling to find work opportunities.
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Ben Casselman, an economics correspondent for The Times, noted how economists are no longer dismissing the threat A.I. could pose to the job market.
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The Wall Street Journal explored how Gen Z is becoming the “tool belt” generation, as young people turn to blue-collar career paths.
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Washington Monthly looked at how apprenticeships can help bridge the “experience gap” young people face when trying to enter the job market.
— Emily Lang
Your turn
Test your knowledge: The job market can feel impenetrable to many young graduates. One reason is the A.I. tools that recruiters use to scan resumes. According to the World Economic Forum, around what percentage of employers use A.I. to filter or rank resumes?
Tell us your thoughts: Have you pursued work through an apprenticeship? How did you arrive at that decision, and what was the experience like? What do you think about the rising interest in this career path, and the turn many young people are making away from college? Please email your thoughts to [email protected].
Following up: Our look at school vouchers last week surfaced a mix of views about their increased prominence in the U.S. education landscape. Among the respondents, there seemed to be openness to school choice in principle, but concern about some of the specifics. Some felt there should be strong standardized testing, and that more attention should be paid to the important function schools can play in fostering a melting pot. One Ohio respondent said that insufficient caps on spending and eligibility for vouchers had made for a “fiscal black hole” in the state budget (more on Ohio’s spending here).
At its root, the debate about vouchers is a debate about what our school systems are for. In that spirit, we’ll leave you with this set of reflections from students, collected by our colleagues at The Learning Network, on how they grew or changed during the academic year that’s now coming to an end.
Emily Lang contributed reporting.
The Headway initiative is funded through grants from the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors serving as a fiscal sponsor. The Woodcock Foundation is a funder of Headway’s public square. Funders have no control over the selection, focus of stories or the editing process and do not review stories before publication. The Times retains full editorial control of the Headway initiative.
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