A New Era for Apprenticeships: The Opportunity for Stronger U.S. Programs

Insights from an Expert Economist

In a recent Urban Wire blog post from the Urban Institute: How apprenticeships offer wins for the Trump administration, workers, companies, and taxpayers, economist Robert I. Lerman outlines plans Secretary of Labor candidate nominee Andrew Pudzer should consider regarding the country’s apprenticeship program. The post reviews weak outcomes of current programs, and discusses the natural opportunity for the Trump Administration to increase program success.

According to Lerman, a leading expert on apprenticeship and Institute fellow in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute, expanding the U.S. apprenticeship program is an opportunity to:

• Help American companies compete in global markets, while saving taxpayer dollars
• Bolster the American job market, while improving worker’s earnings and status
• Strengthen American youth community college graduation rates, while reducing college debt

The blog post explains further how registered apprenticeship programs – as a share of the U.S. workforce – fall dramatically behind countries such as Australia, Canada, and England. While the Obama Administration and a bipartisan group in Congress have supported modest but worthwhile expansion efforts, the results are limited. Lerman attributes the limited progress to modest funding, lack of effective marketing, and bureaucratic delays.

What can we learn from the U.K., and how can program success be spurred by President Trump’s background in business and marketing? Click here to read the full article:

Contact Franklin Apprenticeships to learn more about the apprenticeship opportunity in the U.S.

About Urban Institute
The nonprofit Urban Institute is dedicated to elevating the debate on social and economic policy. For nearly five decades, Urban scholars have conducted research and offered evidence-based solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities across a rapidly urbanizing world. Their objective research helps expand opportunities for all, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the effectiveness of the public sector.

About Robert I. Lerman
Robert Lerman is an Institute fellow in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute as well as professor of economics at American University and a research fellow at IZA in Bonn, Germany. A leading expert on apprenticeship, he recently established the American Institute for Innovative Apprenticeship. His current research focus is on skills, employer training, apprenticeship programs in the United States and abroad, and housing policies.