Almost 14 percent, or 5.5 million American youth between the ages 16 to 24 are neither in school, nor working. It is clear that our current system of “college-for-all” is not adequately preparing young adults for the modern workforce. A national, high-quality youth apprenticeship model, where students earn while they learn, can help fill this gap, in sectors as diverse as IT, finance, healthcare, STEM, and hospitality.

Hosted by The Century Foundation’s Bernard L. Schwartz Rediscovering Government Initiative and Urban Institute, Young, Educated and Employed: Revitalizing Youth Apprenticeships in America is bringing together experts to discuss the potential of youth apprenticeships as an under-explored path for addressing our youth unemployment crisis. The conversation will focus on the policy steps necessary for increasing support by all stakeholders, including increasing government funding for apprenticeships as well as leveraging interest from businesses.

Join us on November 19th to hear a fresh perspective on how we can revolutionize education and training for young adults from youth apprenticeship participants, program directors, policy experts, and businesses.

Speakers include:

  • Eric Seleznow, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration
  • Jeff Madrick, Director, TCF’s Bernard L. Schwartz Rediscovering Government Initiative
  • Robert I. Lerman, Institute Fellow, Urban Institute and Research Fellow, IZA
  • Cathy Crary, Section Chief, Youth and At-Risk Populations, Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development
  • Dr. Nancy Hoffman, Vice President and Senior Advisor, Jobs for the Future
  • Dr. Thomas J. Kriger, Director of Research, North America’s Building Trades Unions
  • John Lukas, Vice President, LDI Industries, Inc.
  • Maalik Groves, IT Apprentice, Urban Technology Project

For more information about this event, please contact [email protected].

Also check out a new report by TCF policy associate Clio Chang, Can Apprenticeships Help Reduce Youth Unemployment?, which examines how policymakers are looking toward apprenticeships as a solution to the youth unemployment crisis and explains what steps can help develop these programs.

Watch video of the event: