Should the U.S. Adopt the German Model of Apprenticeships? - NationalJournal.

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Should the U.S. Adopt the

German Model of
Apprenticeships?

The best youth apprenticeship programs blend traditional high school with skills training
produce employable graduates.
BY NANCY COOK
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Students weld at the retraining facility for the unemployed in the northern German town of Neubrandenburg, Nov. 24, 2010. Some states ar
the model for teenagers who want an alternative to postsecondary education. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

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Should the U.S. Adopt the German Model of Apprenticeships? - NationalJournal.com

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April 11, 2014 This article is part of a series on American teenagers and employment.
Germany is all the rage these days as a model for possible economic solutions. The country boasts an 8-percent youth

unemployment rate [http://www.vox.com/2014/4/7/5589902/youth-unemployment-is-a-huge-crisis-germany-may-have-the

solution] , a data point that looks practically quaint compared to the U.S. teen unemployment rate of more than 20 percen

[http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf] . Auto workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., recently tried unsuccessfully to u

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/02/10/why-volkswagen-is-helping-a-union-organize-its-own-pla

following the model of the German "work councils" that aim to include employee input in plant decisions. And, Germans (

Australians, Canadians, and Britons) embrace apprenticeships as a way to train young people for the workforce, believin
everyone needs to go to college to land a decent, skilled job.

The idea of apprenticeships is gaining some traction among D.C. thinkers as a way to tackle the ongoing teen employme

this country. After all, apprenticeships train workers on the job, allowing them to gain concrete skills and earn real money

private-sector employers create a pipeline of workers in skilled professions such as advanced manufacturing, IT, health c

hospitality. And, depending on how they are structured, apprenticeships do not have to cost the federal government big m
because the employers, not the feds, pay the trainees' salaries (a boon in today's austere times).

Two states, including Wisconsin [https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship] , already run successful apprenticeship progr
Wisconsin program trains roughly 2,000 high school juniors and seniors each year and requires them to complete 450 to

of training while earning at least minimum wage. The goal is for students to leave the program with bankable skills, as we

some technical college credits. "We view it as a way to get young people into the workforce as soon as possible," says R
Newson, secretary of workforce development in Wisconsin.

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Holcomb of Sun Prairie, Wis., became interested in the state's apprenticeship program after e

(and excelling) in a handful of welding classes at her high school. Now, as an apprentice, she divides her time between tr

high school classes in the morning and her afternoon work at a manufacturing company called E.K. Machine, which trans

steel into parts for the mining, gas, and agriculture industries. "It's nice to be able to go to school, and then it's nice to swi
more hands-on environment. I tend to learn really well that way," Holcomb says.

Her boss at E.K. Machine is equally excited about the apprenticeship program. (Holcomb is the second trainee he's ment

company). "These guys learn way more by doing it than they would if went to a postsecondary college to learn these skill
Shaun Walker, who has worked for the company for 14 years.

Better yet, Walker says, the program helps manufacturing companies identify future employees. "Fifty to 60 percent of W

welders plan to retire in the next five to 15 years," he says. "Anyone who is young like this, getting their feet wet, and with

experience could start a welding job making between $15 and $20 hour. If kids are willing to do this, they don't have to go
year college to be proud of their careers."

Georgia runs a similar apprenticeship program, started in the early 1990s. The state government there helps to pay for te

classes that may not be offered in high schools and funds coordinators within schools to run the trainee program, accordi

recent paper on apprenticeships from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. More than 6,000 students enroll in the G
program annually.

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Should the U.S. Adopt the German Model of Apprenticeships? - NationalJournal.com

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The only problem with these models? Well, they need more funding and should expand across the country, says econom

Lerman, one of the authors of the recent apprenticeship paper. "The Wisconsin budget is tiny, relative to the need," Lerm

"It's been great, but it's disappointing that [the state hasn't] been able to scale it." Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Wal
announced $2.3 million in grants for the youth apprenticeship programs within the last several months.

Holcomb is not sure if she will pursue a welding or manufacturing career once she graduates from high school. Veterinar
and agriculture also interest her as potential career paths, as does attending college out of state. Still, she's pleased that

the time to enroll in the apprenticeship program and hone her welding skills. It's given her a different high school experien
her peers have had. "I know it's something that I could have a future in," she says. "It's extremely useful to have a skill in
can give you the upper hand in anything you do."

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MakingItUpAsIGo

It's a question that's deeper

presented in the article: Sh
secondary education (defin
usually as starting in 6th or
grade) be broad and shallo
narrow and deep?

It is true that not all occupa

require a Bachelor's degree
accomplish. But it is also tru
even in this age of increase
college enrollment, the num
college grads still is about 2
the US population. It's unlik
see such educational attain
exceeding 35% until well in

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