Giving Compass' Take:

• Brookings reports on the rise of apprenticeships as a way to create more job opportunities in the U.S., but finds that many employers are still unwilling or unable to support such a system.

• More states are equipping companies to build apprentice programs, but nonprofits in the human services sector should also look into what they can do to train people for the future of work.

• Here's more on why apprenticeships are the new on-ramp to good jobs.

Apprenticeship has a strong bipartisan appeal as part of the solution to current and future workforce challenges. President Trump released an executive order to expand apprenticeship in 2017 and created a task force to support that expansion. More recently, the bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018 increased federal funding for apprenticeship. Meanwhile, efforts seeded by the Obama administration continue to support the growth of apprenticeship at the state and local levels. And in 2018, eight governors, including Republicans and Democrats, specifically referenced apprenticeship in their State of the State Address as a workforce strategy, and many more referenced the value of work-based learning.

It is certainly good news that more policymakers are on board with expanding apprenticeship, but since the whole point of apprenticeship is to provide paid, work-based learning experiences, more employers need to get on board as well. After all, they’re the ones with the jobs.

The research is clear that apprenticeship programs benefit both workers and businesses. By combining classroom instruction with paid, on-the-job training under the guidance of a mentor, apprenticeship programs help workers gain valuable skills leading to good jobs and careers, and help employers meet their workforce needs, streamline the hiring process, and reduce attrition. An oft-cited report from the U.S. Department of Commerce and Case Western Reserve University found that apprenticeship programs produced returns on investment of 40 to 50 percent. Other research found that participants in apprenticeship programs have substantially higher earnings relative to nonparticipants. At a time when American employers say they can’t find workers with the skills they need, and job seekers say they can’t find good jobs, apprenticeships can be part of the solution.

Read the full article about why more employers should support apprenticeships by Martha Ross and Kimberly Hauge at Brookings.