Connecting Apprenticeships to the Young People Who Need Them Most: The Role of Community-Based Organizations

Despite the growing popularity of apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and in-school youth apprenticeships in the United States, young adults who lack the credentials and connections to seamlessly enter postsecondary pathways remain overlooked. Young-adult-serving agencies and community-based organizations (CBOs) are underutilized key actors in employer-driven approaches to worker development. In this brief, the authors explore: (1) How CBOs serving young adults can connect constituents who are not in school or employed in high-demand careers through apprenticeships; and (2) How the CBOs can operate within a broader landscape, particularly with employers, workforce intermediaries, and other apprenticeship partners. This brief is organized in three sections. Section 1 defines apprenticeship--particularly Registered Apprenticeship--within the workforce development system and highlights why the model can be particularly valuable for young adults lacking on-ramps to skilled jobs. Section 2 considers how CBOs that serve young adults can learn from other CBOs that have successfully connected underrepresented populations to Registered Apprenticeships. It outlines a range of roles and activities that leverage the mission and capacity of CBOs, and offers keys to success. Section 3 brings together the first two sections with summary recommendations for CBOs as well as considerations for other key stakeholders, such as employers, workforce boards, city and other public and private partners, and policymakers. [This brief was produced by Jobs for the Future's (JFF's) Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning and was funded by Salesforce.org as part of JFF's Apprenticeship Awareness and Expansion Initiative.]