Youth Apprenticeship in America Today: Connecting High School Students to High-Quality Apprenticeship

As employers lament a shortage of skilled workers, families bemoan the cost of higher education, and high schools struggle to provide more authentic, hands-on learning opportunities for students, one solution is gaining steam: youth apprenticeship.

Well-entrenched within the education systems in countries like Germany and Switzerland, youth apprenticeship has historically struggled to take root at scale in the U.S. A new body of research led by New America’s Center on Education and Skills analyzes current trends, programs and the history of past efforts to answer the question: what will it take to grow youth apprenticeship in America?

On December 14th, join New America’s Center on Education and Skills for the release of a new report, Youth Apprenticeship in America Today: Connecting High School Students to High Quality Apprenticeship. The event will open with a keynote by Professor Joseph Fuller of Harvard Business School, followed by two panel discussions--one featuring experts currently leading youth apprenticeship initiatives, and another featuring national experts on future directions for the field. More panelists will be announced. We hope you’ll join us to explore the opportunities and challenges for expanding high-quality youth apprenticeship in the U.S.

10:00-10:20 Welcome and Overview of New America's Report: Youth Apprenticeship in America Today

Brent Parton, Deputy Director, Center on Education and Skills, New America
Kevin Carey, Director, Education Policy Program, New America

10:20 – 11:00 Keynote Discussion: Does Youth Apprenticeship Makes Sense for American Industry Today? Insights from new report, Room to Grow: Identifying New Frontiers for Apprenticeships

Professor Joseph Fuller, Harvard School of Business

Moderator:

David Etzwiler, CEO, Siemens Foundation

11:00 – 11:45 Panel Discussion: Experience with Youth Apprenticeship

Cathy Crary, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Mitchell Harp, Trident Technical College (SC)
Stephanie Walters, Robert Bosch LLC, Woodland High School (SC)
Tammy Simmons, Machine Specialties Inc. (NC)
Chris Brutcher, Machine Specialties Inc.

Moderator:

Elena Silva, Director, K-12 Program, New America

11:45 – 12:30 Panel Discussion: Perspectives on Future Directions

Crystal Bridgeman, Siemens Foundation
Allison Gerber, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Ellen Golombek, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Kate Kreamer, AdvanceCTE
Eric Seleznow, Jobs for the Future

Moderator:

Mary Alice McCarthy, Director, Center on Education and Skills, New America

This event will be livestreamed on this page, and you can join the conversation online using #YAinAmerica and #ApprenticeshipForward and following @NewAmericaEd.

Lunch will be provided following the program.