ApprenticeshipNC (ANC) is helping to bridge the gap between education and the workforce by creating apprenticeship programs throughout the state—and it is having great success.
Formerly under the supervision of the state commerce department, ANC now partners directly with the North Carolina Community College System to create apprenticeships that benefit both students and employers. ANC comes alongside prospective students to create personalized programs that meet their specific needs with the goal of not only helping young people gain successful employment but also providing employers with workers who have relevant, hands-on experience.
While apprenticeships do exist in blue-collar fields, there are also programs available in healthcare, IT, engineering, education, and accounting. Since the State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC) took over management of ANC in 2017, the program has doubled in size and is continuing to see growth. In an SBCC meeting in July of this year, ANC shared that, during fiscal year 2023-24, registered “apprentice enrollments” increased by 45 percent, and “pre-apprentice enrollments” (made up of students recruited before graduating high school) increased by 50 percent. More specifically, ANC registered 4,990 apprentices and 1,774 pre-apprentices between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
The success of these programs is reliant not only on student enrollment but also on employers’ interest in creating apprenticeship programs in the first place. ANC consultants work with prospective employers to guide program creation and implementation, in order to ensure that the program provides maximum benefits to both students and employers. In addition to registering many new students in 2023-24, ANC registered new apprenticeship programs, 147 to be exact, as well as 19 new pre-apprenticeship programs.
A common misconception about apprenticeships is that they are available only in blue-collar, manual-labor fields such as construction, plumbing, and HVAC repair. While apprenticeships do exist in those fields, there are also programs available in sectors such as information technology, healthcare (specifically medical coding and medical assisting), engineering, education, and accounting. For example, last year’s figures included “806 pre-apprentices and apprentices registered in healthcare occupations, 364 in early childhood education occupations, 259 in the Information Technology (IT) occupations, and 1,075 in the skilled trades.” Students who complete these programs often graduate with an associate’s degree or relevant certificate. For example, many of Wake Tech’s registered apprenticeship programs have students graduating with an associate’s in applied sciences.
With the cost of education ever on the rise, students would be wise to consider their options carefully. And monetary cost should not be the only consideration. Students should also weigh the opportunity cost of spending several years in a traditional institution of higher learning. Apprenticeships are one of many alternatives to the standard four-year, liberal-arts degree that not only save money and time but also provide hands-on experience. While other students are sitting through hours of lectures, apprentices are splitting their time between class and work in their chosen field. Apprenticeships allow students to save in a number of different ways. Students save time by completing their education while also actively working, and they save money, as well—many apprenticeship programs cover tuition costs, plus participants are able to earn a paycheck while working through their programs.
The experience gained in an apprenticeship program gives students a leg up when they are entering the workforce. The experience gained in an apprenticeship program gives students a leg up when they are entering the workforce. ANC director Chris Harrington put it well when he asked, at this year’s ApprenticeshipNC conference, “What do employers want? Basic employment skills, industry specific skills, company specific skills, and a growth mindset. What do all those have in common? They’re hard to acquire in a classroom.”
Apprenticeship programs are typically completed within two to five years, and while that span is not always dissimilar to the standard four years required for a bachelor’s degree, for apprentices, those are two to five years of experience that is all applicable to their chosen field.
For a student who has perhaps never held a job before college, it may be difficult to appreciate just how important job experience can be. Nevertheless, it is a benefit offered by these programs that should not be overlooked. Coupled with the fact that students in these programs are being paid to begin working in their fields while completing their educations, apprenticeships can help students avoid unnecessary debt and successfully launch their adult lives. Director Harrington also shared that the accelerating earnings achieved through internships set students up to earn roughly $300,000 more than others in the same jobs over the course of their lifetimes. Better to earn $300k than to owe it.
One of the biggest struggles for ANC (as for any higher-education option) is ensuring that students achieve completion. Between 2016 and 2020, “Two out of five apprentices stopped out before completing their program,” though, thanks to scholarships such as those offered by Wake Tech, it should be noted that many did so without debt. On the whole, community colleges have the highest national average stop-out rate of any higher-ed institutions, at 45.4 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2021 apprenticeships nationwide had an average completion rate of less than 35 percent. Challenges faced by community-college students include financial struggles (for example, tuition, housing, and childcare costs), academic struggles, and social and health challenges. It can be assumed that similar obstacles are faced by apprenticeship students, although tuition is not always a concern. Employers often cover tuition costs for their apprentices and ”are eligible for tuition waivers for apprentices who register as a pre-apprentice or before they graduate from high school.”
Of course, like any program, apprenticeships have some drawbacks. For example, not every career path is available. While the offered fields are expanding, there are still many career paths that do not offer apprenticeships or would simply not translate well to the apprenticeship model. Moreover, apprenticeships are often a multi-year time commitment, and a job is not always guaranteed upon graduation.
However, the benefit of obtaining invaluable experience, coupled with the time and money savings discussed above, make apprenticeships an incredibly appealing option for many career paths and many students. Educating prospective students about such options will help them to make the best choices for their training and future careers. ANC is spreading awareness of apprenticeships in the state and offering students a valuable alternative to the standard educational path.
Ashlynn Warta is the state reporter for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.