Youth Apprenticeships in Rural America: Reach Higher Montana & CareerWise Eagle County

Youth apprenticeships provide a viable solution nationwide for offering high school students meaningful work, particularly in rural settings. These programs are more than just a job. Youth apprenticeship fosters a cooperative relationship among the apprentice, their school, their business, and the intermediary, all working together to build the apprentice into the best they can be. All of this is even more important in rural communities where opportunities can be slim. Young people in rural areas deserve the same opportunities to explore and promote themselves as those in cities and suburbs. They deserve to dream big.

Youth apprenticeship is transformative. I should know, as I am a graduated human resources and business youth apprentice. I also know that I was extremely lucky to have that opportunity as a rural resident. So, as a member of the PAYA Youth Council, I was eager for an opportunity to not only tell my story but also highlight the absence of stories like mine for the 11 to 12 million children and teenagers in rural America. That’s why it’s so important to recognize the successes and steps being taken towards expanding youth apprenticeship in rural places, just like the two featured programs mentioned below are doing.

Reach Higher Montana

Intermediary Name: Reach Higher Montana
Location: Helena, MO
Service Area: Montana
Program Total Enrollment: 12

As a former school superintendent, Jason Butcher is deeply committed to the well-being of students. His transition from schools to Reach Higher Montana (RHM), therefore, made perfect sense. RHM is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help Montana’s high schoolers be successful, regardless of the path they choose: higher education, military service, apprenticeship, or the workforce. In his position as Outreach Director, Butcher serves as a liaison between students and their educational goals. When RHM decided to tackle youth apprenticeship, he was the perfect candidate to support the program.

RHM’s work spans the entire state, which is not always easy given its vast size and rural nature. Montana is one of the most rural states in the US, with nearly half of its population (47%) residing in rural areas. The most significant industry in the state is agriculture. Montana’s capital city, Helena, has a population of only 32,000 people, and even its largest city, Billings, has a population of only 117,000, according to the 2020 census. In comparison, only four states have a smaller capital.

One way RHM advances its mission is through its youth apprenticeship program. This two- or three-year program enables Montana high school students to gain professional experience while still in school, often earning college credit at no additional cost. While it is a relatively small program, with 12 apprentices statewide, Butcher and his team are working to expand the industry pathways and build new partnerships, increasing the program's reach to more students.

When I spoke with Butcher about this endeavor to bring youth apprenticeship to Montana, he noted a couple of hurdles to expansion. The biggest one is awareness and knowledge of youth apprenticeship. Montanans are often unaware of the program, and even when they do know it exists, they are unsure what youth apprenticeship entails. This can make students and businesses hesitant to participate. Another issue is the number of opportunities available. Rural areas have small populations and even smaller business pools, making it challenging to find a suitable host employer for a youth apprentice. The final noticeable facet is the proximity that RHM has to these communities. RHM has employed five outreach advisors to combat this issue and reach every part of the state. But because the regions each advisor serves are massive—the largest is about the size of Ohio (43,000 square miles) and the smallest is the size of two New Hampshires (20,000 square miles)—it is no easy task. The lack of permanent physical presence can make it hard to maintain communication with these students and businesses, which can feel isolating.

Despite these challenges, Reach Higher Montana continues to strive to make its youth apprenticeship program the best it can be. With a staff comprising many former educators, RHM can foster strong relationships and rapport with the schools it collaborates with. These relationships make the introduction to youth apprenticeship smoother in communities where RHM employees are known and trusted. Building on their close relationship with educators, RHM also offers externships for career and technical education teachers, allowing them to spend a week experiencing hands-on learning at an employer and bringing their new knowledge and skills back to their classes. This often prompts employers to become interested in work-based learning options, like youth apprenticeships.

By reaching out to businesses in areas with already established apprentices or student interest, working with other youth apprenticeship programs and intermediaries like PAYA, and educating the existing partnerships they have, RHM works with its constituents to guide them to success. New or starting rural youth apprenticeships can learn from the experiences of Reach Higher Montana to benefit their own development.

CareerWise Eagle County

Intermediary Name: Vail Valley Partnership (VVP)
Location: Edwards, CO
Service Area: Eagle County, CO
Current Program Enrollment (2025-2026): 25

When she returned to Eagle County, Colorado, after living abroad, Christy Beidel, a former high school science teacher, was not expecting to help build a youth apprenticeship in Eagle County. But that’s precisely what she did when the regional chamber of commerce, Vail Valley Partnership (VVP), hired her as their workforce manager. One of the job's responsibilities was to work with CareerWise CO to start a youth apprenticeship program in a challenging context: a rural community.

Eagle County is a unique place. It is a rural area with a population of about 52,700 people, 31 people per square mile (for comparison, Denver County has nearly 4,700 people per square mile), and is also home to world-class ski areas (Vail and Beaver Creek) and multi-million-dollar second homes. Because of the area’s desirability among wealthy residents, it is an expensive place to live. The living wage in Eagle County is $27.88 for a single person without children, over two dollars above the Colorado average of $25.47. Because of this, hiring for entry- and mid-level management positions with people who are not already established in the area is nearly impossible. Housing is the primary factor that deters people from entering or staying in the valley; the average rent is $2,652 a month, and the average cost of a house is $1.3 million. Because the area relies heavily on tourism, it is imperative to fill the jobs that Eagle County needs to maintain its revenue flow.

That is where VVP comes into play. As the local chamber of commerce, VVP aims to foster long-term economic growth in the area by supporting local businesses, connecting residents with job opportunities, promoting tourism, developing community programs, and engaging in small-scale policy advocacy. They focus on building and finding solutions within the community.

One of those community-based solutions is a youth apprenticeship program, CareerWise Eagle County. Since its launch in 2018, the program has grown and evolved into a strong example of what youth apprenticeship can accomplish in a rural setting. CareerWise Eagle County has hosted 99 total apprentices in its history and has served approximately 800 more students through the career-readiness skills provided to all high school students. There are currently 15 active pathways for apprentices in industries ranging from healthcare to skilled trades to banking. The program has worked with 39 local businesses, many of which return every year to hire new apprentices.

The program has evolved since its inception nearly eight years ago. For example, when youth apprenticeship was first introduced in high schools, students hesitated to apply due to a lack of knowledge about what youth apprenticeship entailed. Only six apprentices participated in the program's first year. As more apprentices completed the program, they shared with their families, friends, and the community how the youth apprenticeship had benefited them and how transformative it was. This led to a significant increase in the number of students applying. The current enrollment consists of 25 new apprentices and 12 second-year apprentices.

The program has evolved over the years to better meet students’ needs, such as transitioning from a three-year program to a two-year program and expanding the number of yearly skills workshops. Other changes in recent years have included introducing apprentices to networking events, integrating classes and skills training from the local community college, and developing a mentorship program for graduated apprentices and current apprentices.

Students who have been in the program have had largely positive experiences and report that the youth apprenticeship has had a profound impact on their lives. It has encouraged students to improve their high school grades, provided them with the means or motivation to pursue higher education, and helped them determine their desired career path. It has provided stability to participants, shown them new ideas of what success can look like, and even given them a new purpose. I am one of them, transitioning from a 2.0 to a 3.8 GPA student in high school, from having no interest in college to aspiring toward a doctorate, and from going through the motions to developing a passion and motivation to succeed. My apprenticeship not only gave me direction but also provided a means to achieve it. This program offers a strong example of not only how a rural youth apprenticeship can be effective, but also how it benefits the community it serves.