Conclusion

Informed by the experience of innovators across the state, the four policy directions suggested here are structured to support the dramatic expansion of apprenticeship in California through a rethinking of apprenticeship applications across the state’s labor market. Within these broader strategies are a blend of near- and longer-term opportunities for state policymakers to realize the 500,000-apprentice goal. Some are more procedural or administrative in nature, while others will require legislative change. Some build on existing investments and resources, while others call for new funding.

There is no doubt that the economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic will have an impact on which apprenticeship policies are prioritized, and what level of resources will be available to support them. But despite its ambition, the 10-year goal of a 500,000-apprentice system creates the necessary time and space for policymakers to evaluate and implement the necessary actions. At the same time, many of the policy ideas outlined here are mutually reinforcing, and as such will have the greatest potential when taken together as part of a comprehensive roadmap for expanding the availability of high-quality apprenticeship opportunities in new and emerging nontraditional industry sectors.

Just as importantly, while these policy ideas outline actions that the state can take, this important work cannot depend on the initiative of the state alone. Industry, philanthropy, regional public-private partnerships, and even individual education institutions, districts, and workforce boards can all take steps to expand nontraditional apprenticeships that model and strengthen the ideas outlined here. In the grip of a pandemic, the state will depend on the energy and initiative of such partners to support the integration of apprenticeship into the broader economic recovery.

California has already led the way in the country by articulating a powerful vision for apprenticeship that both validates Registered Apprenticeship as one of the few sure bets remaining for workers and students, and challenges it to go further. The 500,000-apprentice goal calls for innovation and experimentation, but also continued stewardship the Registered Apprenticeship model that has already supported millions of careers in the building and firefighting trades. An old trope holds that “as California goes, so goes the nation.” If this is true, then the stakes of the 500,000-apprentice goals are high for workers and students across the U.S., today and in the future.