Youth Apprenticeship Road Map: A Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary Journey
At A Glance
Jobs for the Future (JFF) was contracted by the U.S. Department of Labor as a Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary (YAI) between 2019 and 2023. This road map is an account of the strategies implemented and lessons learned along the way.
Challenge
Youth apprenticeship is a workforce development model through which young people ages 16-21 can build industry-specific knowledge and skills and earn job-related credentials. Offering a combination of paid on-the-job learning and formal classroom or online instruction, youth apprenticeship puts participants on pathways to quality jobs.
It’s a promising option for young people seeking career pathways into quality jobs. Expanding youth apprenticeship is a priority for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). In 2019, Jobs for the Future was contracted by the DOL as a Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary (YAI) to register 900 new youth apprentices ages 16-21 by 2024.
Approach
Since 2019, the JFF YAI team helped schools, colleges, employers, and other organizations launch Registered Apprenticeship programs for in-school youth. The goal was to increase awareness of apprenticeship and accelerate adoption of this proven earn-and-learn model in industries throughout the economy that offer well-paid jobs and opportunities for economic advancement. This work is part of the DOL’s Youth Apprenticeship Intermediaries program.
Results
By 2024, JFF and partners, Institute for American Apprenticeships (IAA), MACNY, The Manufacturers Association (MACNY), and CareerWise (CW) had registered more than 1,500 youth apprentices and developed 47 programs. This road map describes the lessons learned, challenges, successes, and innovative practices the YAI team has experienced in this initiative.
Partners:
Institute for American Apprenticeships
The Manufacturers Association of Central New York
Funders:
Youth Apprenticeship Intermediaries
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