As apprenticeship gains bipartisan support and renewed attention from policymakers, a bigger question is emerging: What will it take to scale apprenticeship into a meaningful pathway to good jobs—and how can higher education help?
In this episode, Joe E. Ross welcomes back Brent Parton, president of CareerWise USA and former senior official at the U.S. Department of Labor, about the changing landscape of apprenticeship in the United States. They explore how apprenticeship can help employers rethink entry-level jobs in an era of AI, why integrating college credit and degrees into youth apprenticeship is essential, and what policymakers and industry leaders need to do to expand opportunities for young people.
Parton also discusses the importance of intermediaries working together to build stronger apprenticeship infrastructure, why apprenticeship shouldn't be viewed as an alternative to college, and why multi-employer partnerships may be key to overcoming the risks that keep businesses from investing in training.
In this episode:
Why apprenticeship is gaining momentum among policymakers on both sides of the aisle
How AI is changing the conversation about entry-level jobs—and why apprenticeship could help employers redesign early-career pathways
Why youth apprenticeship should be a pathway into higher education, not an alternative to it
How college credit and degrees can improve both apprentice career mobility and employer retention
Why apprenticeship intermediaries need to collaborate rather than try to do everything themselves
What the United States can learn from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria about building apprenticeship systems
How multi-employer partnerships can reduce the risks businesses face when investing in workforce training
Why higher education needs to rethink how it serves working learners
More resources:
CareerWise USA
Future Ready Apprenticeship Center
Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
National Apprenticeship Act
National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree
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Music by PaulYudin from Pixabay.