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Apprenticeship is the clear focus of much of the work currently being done in YouthBuild programs across the country. The Department of Labor has made an increase in meaningful apprenticeship placements one of our key missions and YouthBuild is an important and recognized partner in this work. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a dramatic impact from YouthBuild programs as they’ve turned their focus to connecting to, and strengthening, apprenticeship pathways, both internally to the program and externally with partners. I’m so excited to see the great work that has come from these efforts and the continuing growth and evolution of the YouthBuild model as it continues to embrace this workforce solution. ~ Jenn Smith, National YouthBuild Director, U.S. Department of Labor
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Emerging Approaches to Apprenticeship Pathway Development
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The DOL YouthBuild program recently completed an intensive four-year random assignment evaluation, culminating in the final report, Laying a Foundation: Four-Year Results from the National YouthBuild Evaluation. The findings of this report suggest that the YouthBuild model “provides a good starting point, but will need to be improved if it is to make large sustained impacts on the lives of the young people it serves. The program’s focus on apprenticeship and skills training may be one strategy.” (Miller, Cynthia et al. Laying a Foundation: Four-Year Results from the National YouthBuild Evaluation, MDRC, May, 2018, pg. ES-2.) YouthBuild programs have been embarking on a number of strategies to improve the participant impacts, including promoting successful placement strategies related to apprenticeship. This is occurring in tandem as targeted youth apprenticeship approaches are emerging and gaining greater traction at the state level. Partnerships continue to be a key element of successful apprenticeship pathways and YouthBuild grantees are becoming increasingly adept at building these critically important relationships.
Clusters of YouthBuild grantees in New York and Massachusetts have established state-wide YouthBuild Manufacturing Initiatives. According to Bonnie Landi, Executive Director of Ulster YouthBuild and Chair of the New York State YouthBuild Coalition, “It began in 2018 when a local manufacturing employer reached out to Ulster YouthBuild with an idea that would utilize YouthBuild participants as a pipeline to advanced manufacturing training, which could lead to employment in the industry and certifications/credentials.”
Landi further underscored, “The need came about because of an aging workforce. I was impressed with the training pathway the employer developed for the Initiative. That meeting led to my belief that this could benefit all YouthBuild programs as they strive to meet the DOL requirement for YouthBuild Construction Plus.”
Later that year, the New York State and Massachusetts State Coalitions developed a regional approach in response to a federal funding opportunity announcement, Scaling Apprenticeships Through Sector-Based Strategies.
Since the Fall of 2018, programs in both states have:
- partnered with local manufacturing firms and manufacturing business associations to develop training pathways and curricula that can be shared and replicated across YouthBuild programs;
- launched updated curricula to include college-level courses and multiple credentials; and
- worked with manufacturers that are now prepared to assist YouthBuild grantees to enhance their soft skills training.
In San Diego, Able-Disabled Advocacy, Inc., a YouthBuild sponsoring organization, established the Pathways to Paychecks IT apprenticeship program in collaboration with San Diego Workforce Partnership/Workforce Investment Board through the support of an American Apprenticeship Grant. Though not specifically a YouthBuild program initiative, the Pathways to Paychecks program provides competitive apprenticeship and placement opportunities for qualified YouthBuild graduates.
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, YouthBuild programs are recognized as pre-apprenticeship programs. This designation strategically positions YouthBuild DOL grantees to be either a convener of regional partnerships or a talent source for apprenticeship sponsors as the pre-apprenticeship pathway prepares YouthBuild participants for apprenticeships. According to Tracy DiFilippis, Director of Sector Strategies at the Goodwill of Southern California YouthBuild program, “YouthBuild grantees can either connect with state or federal apprenticeship representatives or connect with subject matter experts who can help you navigate the apprenticeship world.” Tracy encourages YouthBuild programs to consider both union and non-union apprenticeship opportunities and cites community colleges as valuable partners playing an increasing role in apprenticeship pathway development and implementation.
According to the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), Youth apprenticeship is a “strategy for building a more inclusive economy by creating affordable, reliable, and equitable pathways from high school to good jobs and college degrees (PAYA, “About the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship,” www.newamerica.org, viewed November 2019). The National Governors Association is working closely with PAYA to “[improve] public awareness and understanding of effective youth apprenticeship models and [help] policymakers and practitioners scale those that effectively serve participating students, employers and communities” (The National Governors Association, “States' Role in Advancing High-Quality Youth Apprenticeship,” www.medium.com, February 2019).
To learn more about how YouthBuild is developing and implementing new approaches to youth apprenticeship, check out the November 5th, 2019 webinar recording (coming soon), Youth Apprenticeship and YouthBuild: Pathways to Apprenticeship. This webinar explores how YouthBuild grantees can align their programs with the growing focus on apprenticeship and what various apprenticeship pathways in the United States can look like. Presenters share how YouthBuild grantees are establishing connections with apprenticeship sponsors in in-demand industries, and will highlight promising apprenticeship strategies within the advanced manufacturing industry.
Related Resources
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National Apprenticeship Week (NAW)
This nationwide celebration showcases the impact apprenticeship programs have on closing the U.S. skills gap and preparing the American workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
NAW offers Registered Apprenticeship sponsors the opportunity to showcase their programs and gives employers and other critical partners the opportunity to highlight how Registered Apprenticeship meets their needs for a skilled workforce.
On the National Apprenticeship Week website, you can register an event that you are hosting, search to find other events in your area, and access materials to help you plan and promote your event. Also, help put YouthBuild in the national spotlight by highlighting your program's apprenticeship efforts on social media! Below are links to a social media toolkit and an opportunity to nominate your participant to be featured by YouthBuild USA:
NAW Social Media Toolkit
Spotlight Your Student
NAW Social Media Sign
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Urban Institute Report: Employer Engagement in Summer Youth Employment Programs
This report examines how employer engagement in summer youth employment programs (SYEPs) helps facilitate youths’ connections to the workforce. This is important given concerns about low levels of employment among youth and potential effects of unemployment on young people’s long-term outcomes. The report focuses on SYEP initiatives in three cities: New Orleans, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, and concludes with recommendations, discussing promising approaches and challenges to employer engagement and sustained involvement among employer partners.
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HUD Funding to Support Foster Youth
U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson announced on October 31, 2019, $1.5 million to nearly a dozen housing authorities to assist young people aging out of foster care and who are at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Funded through HUD's new Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative, this funding will offer housing vouchers to local public housing authorities to prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who are, or have recently left, the foster care system without a home to go to. FYI requires that communities provide supportive services for the length of assistance to help youth achieve self-sufficiency. These activities center around basic life skills, landlord outreach, and job preparation. Additionally, they will receive educational and career counseling as well as counseling on program and lease compliance. This is critical given that the assistance is time limited. The awarded programs are below:
| State |
Public Housing Authority |
City |
Amount |
| Alaska |
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation |
Anchorage |
$181,241 |
| California |
City of Santa Ana Housing Authority |
Santa Ana |
$319,950 |
| Kings County Housing Authority |
Hanford |
$70,110 |
| Colorado |
Jefferson County Housing Authority |
Wheat Ridge |
$218,449 |
| Housing Authority of Garfield County |
Rifle |
$73,548 |
| Florida |
Deerfield Beach Housing Authority |
Deerfield Beach |
$10,717 |
| Dania Beach Housing Authority |
Fort Lauderdale |
$272,967 |
| Volusia County Section 8 |
DeLand |
$163,902 |
| Housing Authority of Brevard County |
Melbourne |
$14,854 |
| Georgia |
Housing Authority of Fulton County |
Atlanta |
$96,731 |
| Virginia |
Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority |
Newport News |
$96,895 |
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TOTAL |
$1,519,364 |
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Visit the CoP for access to more resources.
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