Apprenticeships and Community Colleges: Do They Have a Future Together?

N

28

Apprenticeships; Community Colleges; Barriers; College Role; Vocational Education; Educational History; Academic Persistence; Background; Student Characteristics; Educational Attainment; Wages; Employment Level; Occupations; Foreign Countries

Florida; Virginia; Tennessee; United Kingdom (England); Germany; Switzerland

Apprenticeships are often considered the "gold standard" of workforce education. They are formal training programs during which successful applicants are paid while being trained on the job by experienced workers or mentors. Acquiring new skills in the workplace is accompanied by related training, typically provided by an educational institution such as a community college or a trade organization such as a union. This report explores how community colleges could play a more active role in growing the number of apprenticeships nationwide, a role that would contribute to resolving the current mismatch between what postsecondary institutions produce and what employers need. It begins with a brief summary of the past and current state of apprenticeships and the role apprenticeships play in other countries. The report then turns to the challenges faced by community colleges interested in sponsoring apprenticeship programs and what reforms might help community colleges overcome the internal and external obstacles in their way to expansion. It concludes with the role private apprenticeship service providers may play as competitors to community colleges interested in apprenticeship programs.

ERIC

2018

ED585878