Young people are at the heart of youth apprenticeships. Youth apprenticeships provide structured, long-term work-based learning opportunities for students and young people who are preparing to transition into careers or have already left school. To create new opportunities for youths more effectively, registered apprenticeship programs can continue to improve their structure and how they provide value for young people.

This fact sheet reflects key lessons for schools, community-based organizations, and others that work with young people from the Urban Institute’s five years as a youth apprenticeship intermediary for the US Department of Labor.

Apprenticeship Programs Benefit Young People

Dual-enrollment opportunities—where classes count for both high school and college credit—with an apprenticeship allow young people to reduce their classroom hours for paid work time.

• Programs that pay for related instruction—theoretical knowledge connected to an apprentice's occupation—can help young people avoid student loan debt.
• Pre-apprenticeships give young people an opportunity to try out training in an occupation and see if a youth apprenticeship program would be a good fit.
• Young people who complete a registered apprenticeship program earn significantly higher wages, on average, than their peers who have not completed an apprenticeship program.

Youth-Serving Organizations Have Opportunities to Expand the Reach of Youth Apprenticeships

Despite the benefits described above, young people continue to face barriers to accessing and completing a registered apprenticeship program. To expand the opportunities and benefits of registered apprenticeships to more young people, youth-serving organizations have an important role to play in connecting young people to apprenticeship programs and ensuring they have the supports they need.

Make apprenticeship a visible option. For young people, and often their parents or guardians, to see apprenticeship as a viable and attractive option, organizations need to build awareness of opportunities and their benefits years before young people are ready to join an apprenticeship program. To help support these connections, the education system and other community organizations should find or create, and promote, local pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship opportunities for the young people they serve.

Build partnerships to support young people. Education system partners and other local youth organizations could partner with apprenticeship programs by extending appropriate resources and programs to support young apprentices. These resources can include funding for transportation, equipment or clothing for on-the-job training, technology to access related instruction, and mental health services.

Lift up the experiences of youth apprentices. Having successful young apprentices share their stories and the benefits of their program is one of the most effective ways to build interest among other young people. Organizations can help provide a platform for young people to amplify their message. Youth apprentices can also identify what supportive services and programs helped them succeed, so other organizations can learn from and replicate those services and programs.