Celebrating and Supporting the Next Generation of Apprenticeship
Today marks the first day of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2023 – a nationwide celebration to showcase the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeship – and today (11/13/2023) we recognize the importance of Registered Apprenticeship for youth.
For the past few years, High Impact Partners (HIP) has directly supported apprenticeship program efforts through the management of multiple projects. One in particular, speaks directly to today’s recognition.
The Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant (YARG) is the first apprenticeship grant program solely focused on increasing Registered Apprenticeship opportunities for youth—particularly underrepresented populations (including women, people of color, ex-offenders, persons with disabilities), youth with barriers to employment, and out-of-school youth. Unlike most Office of Apprenticeship grant recipients, YARG grantees are a mixture of non-profit organizations, workforce boards, states and community colleges, many who are entirely new to the federal grant process.
“This session was so informative. I loved connecting with the employer and the TA coach. I received a great deal of thoughts to take back to my college.”
“It was great to have the employer sponsor perspective.”
HIP began providing training and technical assistance (TA) to the YARG grantees in July 2020. As the technical assistance provider, HIP has worked with our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), TA Coaches, and program staff to deliver TA events and resources centered on the needs of the grantees. HIP also supports quarterly sessions for grantees to connect with their peers to discuss the challenges and promising practices of serving youth in apprenticeship. Grantees, both new and seasoned, have gained valuable insights from collaborating within these sessions.
In support of advancing Registered Apprenticeship for youth and providing key technical assistance to YARG grantees, HIP organized a successful in-person conference (post-pandemic) earlier this year. The YARG Collaborative Meeting 2023 brought together grantees, TA coaches, employers, and youth apprentices for two days of in-person learning at a grantee site. The grantees were highly engaged and participated in robust discussions and collaborations around grant implementation accomplishments and challenges.
“It was amazing to hear from youth apprentices and what they feel supports their success.”
As we look towards the future of our national workforce, we are reminded that the students of today hold the keys to becoming the apprentices of tomorrow. Every year, employers and industry leaders establish new opportunities for aspiring professionals to develop applicable skills. Today, young people have more options than ever to “earn while they learn” with the help of Registered Apprenticeship programs all over the country, and HIP is proud to support that effort.
To learn more about youth apprenticeship, navigate to the ApprenticeshipUSA resource hub where you can find fact sheets, research reports, and success stories.