Introduction

The vast majority of jobs created since the end of the Great Recession require a college degree.¹ But though degrees are practically indispensable for success in today’s economy, the rising costs of college education put them out of reach for many Americans. A year’s full-time tuition and fees at a typical community college cost between $3,000 and $4,000, even before factoring in living expenses and foregone earnings. At four-year public colleges, average tuition and fees are over $10,000 per year.²

Stubbornly high college costs, combined with employers’ inability to recruit enough skilled workers through conventional channels, have contributed to resurgent public interest in apprenticeship. A growing number of apprenticeship programs for youth and adults now include the possibility of obtaining college credit or even degrees at the same time, providing learners both the near-term security of a wage and the long-term career-building potential of a college education. But though many states have incorporated apprenticeship expansion into their economic development strategies, a critical policy gap separates the current apprenticeship landscape from more widespread college-connected apprenticeship offerings.

To attain their maximum potential for social benefit, college-connected apprenticeships must provide a more affordable—and ideally tuition-free—pathway to a college degree, without sacrificing the employer relevance of a conventional registered apprenticeship. This combination requires a committed partnership and shared investment from employers and higher education institutions. As it stands, however, it is often much easier for apprenticeships to incorporate non-college training—or to simply pass tuition costs onto the learners.

In the building trades, which account for at least two-thirds of all active American apprentices,³ the cost of college tuition has rarely been a problem for apprentices or their employers. In these occupations, which are among the few that still provide job seekers a viable route to economic stability without a college degree, noncredit coursework suffices to make apprentices job-ready. But when we talk about apprenticeships in healthcare, information technology, finance, and advanced manufacturing—just a few of the nontraditional apprenticeship occupations championed by two successive presidential administrations—we cannot avoid the issue of college costs. To make the most of apprenticeship in a skills-hungry economy where degrees are still out of reach financially for many learners, we need more clarity about who pays for the development of college-connected apprenticeship programs and for apprentices’ instructional costs.

Existing state policies to support the costs of apprentices’ classroom training at colleges are a patchwork. Some states provide effective subsidies to support credit-bearing apprenticeship offerings; others have implemented well-intentioned but counterproductive policies. But across the country, most states already have the policy groundwork to support college classes for apprentices, even with rather modest investments. From insurance and business services giants to mid-sized software firms to small manufacturing shops, employers do not just need employees with the deep specialization of a traditional apprentice, or with the intellectual breadth and adaptability of a college graduate. They need employees with both. In this brief, I explore the advantages and drawbacks of four current approaches to funding the classroom component of apprenticeship and provide recommendations for policymakers looking to support college-connected apprenticeships in their state.