The Options Multiplier: Decoding the CareerWise Youth Apprentice Journey

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Rachel Lipson, Farah Mallah, Girish Pendse and Rachel Snyder

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:33

Abstract

As more Americans question the appeal of costly higher education programs, earn-and-learn models, like apprenticeship, are attracting increasing attention from policymakers and employers alike. While apprenticeship is widespread in many parts of Europe, apprenticeship models in the U.S. traditionally have faced significant obstacles to scale. Federally registered apprenticeship programs have limited penetration in industries outside the skilled trades. Barriers to adoption have spanned both the supply- and demand-side: Employers struggle to navigate complex regulatory requirements and question the return on investment, while youth and families express skepticism about forgoing the traditional pathway to four-year college often viewed as the north star for economic success.

Keywords

Apprenticeship; Higher Education; Training; Personal Development and Career; Cost vs Benefits; Success; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

Citation

Fuller, Joseph B., Rachel Lipson, Farah Mallah, Girish Pendse, and Rachel Snyder. "The Options Multiplier: Decoding the CareerWise Youth Apprentice Journey." White Paper, Project on Workforce at Harvard, November 2022.