Giving Compass' Take:

• Colorado program CareerWise developed an initiative based on a Swiss apprenticeship program where students commit to three-year apprenticeships during high school and make around $30,000 at the end, helping them to obtain job experience and earn debt-free college credits simultaneously.

• How does this new apprenticeship program differ from others? Why might it be more effective than traditional career technical training schools?

• Read about the Brookings study on the promise of apprenticeships helping solve the employment problem in the U.S.


And as anyone who has been paying attention to the “future of work” predictions can tell you, the price of inattention to work preparation and social mobility is about to get much, much higher.

As automation rapidly advances, the types of job opportunities available to today’s students will likely change at a pace that requires significantly more intentionality and flexibility in American education and training systems.

To open up new possibilities for more effective career preparation, match job training to industry needs, and, importantly, do so in a way that does not track some students into low-level careers, we have much work ahead.

Tinkering with CTE — career and technical education — programs, creating more one-off internship opportunities, and adding more career counselors in high schools are all good things. But they are ultimately Band-Aids on a system that is designed to prepare some students for college with little thought to what’s beyond.

What’s necessary is a systemic restructuring of the entire high school–college-career continuum so every student has an effective pathway to a productive and fulfilling career.

There are many ways to better align education and job preparation, but one promising model is a statewide program run by CareerWise Colorado and based on the Swiss apprenticeship system.

Participating students commit to a three-year apprenticeship, starting in their junior year of high school. There are several distinct pathways, including advanced manufacturing, finance, and healthcare. Apprentices earn up to $30,000 over their three years, gain up to a year’s worth of debt-free college credits, earn industry certification, and learn a set of competencies aligned to that pathway.

It leverages new private monies and people into the education system, creates new income and training opportunities for all students, reduces college costs, and helps local businesses build a pipeline for talent.

Read the full article about apprenticeship program by Robin Lake and Bethany Gross at The 74