South By North Strategies, Ltd.

In a recent Policy Brief, The Working Poor Families Project presented ideas for improving state policies and practices pertaining to apprenticeship programs. From the report …

Apprenticeship holds the promise of providing good jobs and a path to self-sufficiency. however, unless states take bold actions to expand apprenticeship opportunities and strengthen entry and completion, low-skilled, low-wage adults may be left behind.
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Several states have enacted programmatic and policy innovations to encourage employer development of apprenticeships, increase recruitment, preparation, and completion rates of under-represented individuals, and build apprentices’ pathways to postsecondary and industry-recognized credentials. along the way,states have formed closer ties between the registered apprenticeship system and community college, workforce development, and pre-apprenticeship programs. states have leveraged numerous funding sources to aid in apprenticeship expansion and services, including WIA, OJT, general revenue, federal construction funds, bonds, and the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, as well as enactment of tax breaks.
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With state budgets running thin for education, workforce development, it is imperative that states find innovative, sustainable ways to support apprenticeship. Based on the experience of many states, this report recommends a variety of budget neutral strategies, as well as some that require financial investment.