Though labor unions and industry associations have different roles in the American labor market and economy, they play similar roles in organizing young workers and employers in youth apprenticeships. Labor unions and industry associations can expand the apprenticeship model by building on the opportunities they are creating for young people.

This fact sheet reflects key lessons for labor unions and industry associations from the Urban Institute’s five years as a youth apprenticeship intermediary.

Labor Unions Have Supported Youth Apprenticeship for Decades

Apprenticeship programs sponsored by labor-management organizations (generally composed of unions and multiple employers) are among the nation’s oldest and largest. Labor unions have been establishing registered apprenticeship programs for over 85 years. Today, union-based apprenticeship programs attract and train about half of all apprentices.

US apprenticeships are heavily concentrated in the construction industry. Union-supported programs are even more so: 83.2 percent of apprentices in union-based programs are learning a construction trade compared with 46.8 percent in nonunion programs. North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) operates a significant share of union-based registered apprenticeship programs. NABTU and its partner contractors deliver these programs through 1,900 joint apprenticeship training centers in the US and Canada that invest nearly $2 billion annually (PDF) in training apprentices.

Apprenticeships can help young people get occupational skills and a pathway to good jobs that pay well, while unions provide covered workers, including apprentices, a platform to bargain for higher wages. As a result, young people in union-based apprenticeship programs have higher starting ($19.14) and exit ($34.66) wages than young people in nonunion apprenticeship programs ($12.86 and $22.70, respectively). However, higher salaries in union-based apprenticeship programs may also reflect that these programs are concentrated in the higher-paying construction industry (table 1).
 

TABLE 1

Starting and Exit Wages for Young People Who Completed Apprenticeship Programs, 2017–22

Source: Zach Boren, Andrew Campbell, Bhavani Arabandi, John Marotta, Daniel Kuehn, and Jacqueline Rayfield, Union-Based Apprenticeships for Young People: Creating Good Jobs and Meeting Employers’ Needs for Skills (Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2022).
Notes: Data are only available for 42 states. Youth apprentices are ages 16 to 24 at the start of their program.
 

Industry Associations Are Emerging Youth Apprenticeship Sponsors

Youth apprenticeships sponsored by industry associations bridge the gap between education and workforce readiness. Industry associations may provide training in critical occupations, lead the development of workforce initiatives, and support multiple employers in administering and designing the apprenticeship program. While individual employer apprenticeship opportunities and jobs may fluctuate, an industry association can keep up with the latest training trends and work closely with employers needing skilled workers and ways to diversify their recruiting strategy.

Outside the United States, industry associations play a significant role in developing standards and collaborating with employers to set apprenticeship curricula, certifications, and other learning qualifications. Many US industry groups have set standards for their industry and promote opportunities to apprentice early in young people’s careers. These three organizations participated in the Urban Institute’s Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary project:

• Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation offers youth apprenticeships in multiple occupations, such as diesel and automotive technician, providing aspiring in-school youths with hands-on training and certification opportunities. Through partnerships with high schools, community colleges, and auto dealers, the foundation deploys industry-approved education with mentorship.
• The Association of Nutrition and Food Professionals provides a certified dietary manager apprenticeship for in-school and out-of-school youths. The association aims to recruit new candidates and provide pathways from entry-level roles to higher pay and responsibility in the nursing and retirement home care industry.
• Independent Electrical Contractors trains thousands of apprentices nationally as electricians. As part of its youth apprenticeship recruitment strategy, the association partners with 4-H and SkillsUSA.

Unions and Industry Associations Have Opportunities to Expand Youth Apprenticeships

Broaden the talent pipeline. Although labor unions are leading the country in the number of youth apprentices, and the national industry association program model is gaining traction, neither unions nor industry associations have fully used youth apprenticeships to systematically recruit, train, and mentor young workers for good jobs.

Leverage public interest in union jobs. Public support for unions is at a 40-year high. In August 2022, unions reached 71 percent in favorability according to a Gallup poll—and 18–34-year-olds have the highest reported approval and interest in joining a union according to a poll from the Economic Policy Institute. Unions can use youth apprenticeships as an effective pathway into union membership for the next generation.

Go beyond construction. Unions organize, represent, and support the training of workers for various industries, but the vast majority of union-based apprenticeship programs are in construction. Unions facing talent and membership shortages in their occupations should learn from their peers in construction to expand youth apprenticeships.

Build partnerships to recruit young people. Unions and national industry associations looking to use apprenticeships to bring young people into an industry need to partner with the education community and other youth-serving organizations to build greater awareness, interest, and clear pathways into registered apprenticeship opportunities.

Lean into pre-apprenticeships. Pre-apprenticeship programs, like NABTU’s multicraft core curriculum, can help young people test their interest in apprenticeship and be prepared to succeed in an apprenticeship program.