Apprenticeships: An Alternative Path to Building New Skills and Careers
Apprenticeships build skills and careers at a fraction of the cost of a college degree. At least that is how the Department of Labor is selling this type of work arrangement with employers and career seekers.
The fact is: anyone can apply for an apprenticeship regardless of the type of education they have had. As long as the goal is employment and to build skills and a career, apprenticeships are worth exploring.
New graduates and career changers can definitely use apprenticeships as a way to launch a career.
Apprenticeships are a type of work relationship between an employer and an employee where the employer hires a worker for a specific time period and makes a commitment to a structured, on-the-job training program to learn the skills needed to do the job. Apprenticeships offer an affordable way to get training for relatively high-paying jobs and careers. They are also great employment options because there are few barriers to entry.
In other words, to qualify for some apprenticeships, applicants do not need to have a lot of past work experience.
There are apprenticeships in diverse industries including the arts, information technology, finance and business, healthcare, hospitality, transportation, and manufacturing.
Career One Stop reports that 90 % or more of apprentices "remain employed after completing their program, and their average starting wage is more than $60,000." Throughout their careers, Career One Stop states that apprentices earn $300,000 more than workers who did not complete an apprenticeship.
The Department of Labor has created the Apprenticeship Finder to help people find apprenticeships that match their interests and skills in their local areas.
Take a look at this example of an apprenticeship program being launched by Barclays in Henderson, Nevada. The company worked with community groups to identify and hire 50 people, at least 18 years old who wanted to work in banking customer service roles. The selected candidates were offered permanent employment and would participate in a structured 2-year development program.