CLOSING THE GAP 

Today, the responsibility of educating tomorrow’s workforce falls squarely on our schools. However, businesses are having difficulty finding employees with the appropriate competencies to effectively fill skilled positions. Modern youth apprenticeship addresses this problem by helping businesses have a hand in shaping young talent, and providing the education system with an applied-learning environment for students.

 

AN OPTIONS MULTIPLIER

For students, youth apprenticeship is an options multiplier, providing powerful enhancement to their education, a fast-track to a family-sustaining wage—or both.

Apprenticeship is not a diversion from higher education—it’s a rigorous education option that combines theoretical learning with practical learning that focuses career and education objectives.

Contrary to prior traditions, apprenticeships are also not just for students interested in building and construction trades. Apprenticeship can be a direct path to high-paying, in-demand jobs in Information Technology, Financial Services, and Business Operations.

Any student—regardless of future plans—can benefit from an apprenticeship. It’s a model of education that reveals multiple pathways to career and higher education.

 

LEARNING FROM THE SWISS 

CareerWise New York looks to the Swiss apprenticeship system for inspiration and has borrowed many of its elements to adapt in New York. In Switzerland there are more than 230 approved apprenticeship occupations, and 40 percent of all companies participate in the system. In that environment, 70 percent of Swiss students choose apprenticeships and 30 percent of them stay with their training company or return after college. In fact, many of the world’s largest companies are run by CEOs that started out as an apprentice. It’s that kind of endless possibility we’re building here, in New York—apprentices that start in high school and end with college or career success.