Connected by Design: Advancing Youth Apprenticeship Integration

Across the country, youth apprenticeship programs are expanding rapidly, but too often, they operate as disconnected and separate programs rather than as integral components of high school pathways. This separation risks perpetuating outdated tracking practices and limits the full potential of youth apprenticeship to prepare students for both college and career.

New America and Education Strategy Group partnered on a new report, Connected by Design: Why Youth Apprenticeship Must be Embedded in High School Pathways to Deliver on its Promise. This report explores why integration matters and highlights strategies for creating earn-and-learn models that bridge high school, postsecondary education, and employment.

Join New America’s Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) for a webinar previewing the report and offering actionable insights for state and local leaders, education policy makers, and youth apprenticeship providers. The session will feature PAYA, ESG, and Mary Taylor, Industrial Training and Development Specialist from Kentucky’s Office of Career and Technical Education.

Key Insights You’ll Learn:

1. Why integration matters: how disconnected programs risk perpetuating poor tracking of student outcomes and what it takes to design pathways that keep college and career options open.
2. Promising practices from the field: lessons from states and regions making meaningful progress toward embedding youth apprenticeship into high school pathways.
3. Action steps for leaders: policy levers, partnership strategies, and design principles to ensure youth apprenticeship serves as a capstone experience tied to advising, early postsecondary credit, and employer engagement.

Register today to secure your spot and be part of the conversation shaping the future of career-connected learning!