Room to Grow: Identifying New Frontiers for Apprenticeships

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Matthew Sigelman

Format:Print
| Language:English

Abstract

In the United States, apprentices are employed in just 27 occupations, mostly in skilled, physical trades. An analysis of job postings data shows that extending apprenticeships to more occupations provides an opportunity to expand employment and close the middle skills gap in America. Employers can expand apprenticeships as pathways to at least 21 other occupations that don’t require a bachelor’s degree, such as shipping clerks and tax preparers, as well as another 26 occupations that commonly require a costly four-year degree but have requisite skills that can be attained without one, including claims adjusters and computer user support specialists. With these changes, the number of Americans that could be employed through work-based apprentice training could be increased from 410,000 to 3.3 million, boosting employer production and reducing costs to young Americans entering the workforce.

Keywords

Employment; Training; Competency and Skills; Personal Development and Career; United States

Citation

Fuller, Joseph B., and Matthew Sigelman. "Room to Grow: Identifying New Frontiers for Apprenticeships." Report, November 2017. (Published by Burning Glass Technologies and Harvard Business School, Managing the Future of Work.)