The Modern Youth Apprenticeship
January 01, 2022
Appears in January 2022: School Administrator.
A scalable strategy for work-based learning that leads students to effective careers and social mobility
![Noel Ginsburg](/images/default-source/school-administrator/2022-january/21-noel-ginsburg-with-students.jpg?sfvrsn=3ecb9e05_7)
In June 2015, I attended the CEMETS Institute in Switzerland, which focused on that country’s youth apprenticeship system. I was there both as the founder of Intertech Plastics in Colorado and as chair of the Denver Public Schools’ College
and Career Pathways Council, one of my volunteer roles to improve students’ education outcomes and create more paths to career success.
One of the most impactful of those roles was with the I Have A Dream Foundation. Through the foundation,
my wife and I sponsored 42 young people who lived in a neighborhood with a high school dropout rate of more than 90 percent. When we adopted our class of “dreamers,” most of them 3rd graders, we embarked on a 10-year journey that ultimately
turned a 90 percent dropout rate into a graduation rate of more than 90 percent.
For the next 15 years, I searched high and low for a solution that could replicate that kind of impact at scale. I found that solution in youth apprenticeship
on that trip to Switzerland.
This Content is Exclusive to Members
AASA Member? Login to Access the Full Resource
Not a Member? Join Now | Learn More About Membership
Author
Additional Resources
By its nature, apprenticeship is a collaborative endeavor, with many different organizations playing their parts. Noel Ginsburg suggests these informational resources for those interested in exploring more about youth apprenticeships appropriate for high school students.
- CareerWise. A nonprofit youth apprenticeship intermediary with information about how a school district can leverage apprenticeships for students. Contact them at info@careerwiseusa.org.
- JFF (formerly known as Jobs for the Future). Works to expand apprenticeship and work-based learning to new industries and professions.
- New America’s Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship. A resource for finding complementary organizations in one’s geographic area.
- The U.S. Department of Labor. Offers resources for schools and districts.
- The Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary Project, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship.
- Your state’s workforce development or apprenticeship office.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement