High-growth, high-demand jobs for high school students. Sounds great, doesn’t it? The Maryland Department of Labor’s youth apprenticeship program uses this phrase a lot to describe the jobs, primarily in traditional construction trades, that are available to high school student apprentices. Employers who hire and train high school students are recruited from “high-growth, high-demand” industry sectors and work with 20 of the 24 local education systems in Maryland. This is typical of every state’s education system, according to a 2021 paper, “Working to Learn and Learning to Work,” which reports all states include some kind of work-based learning program for their public school students.¹

I can tell you firsthand, as a work-based learning coordinator in a Maryland high school, that the youth apprentice program and just the word “apprentice” generate a tremendous amount of interest from high school students who indeed do want to learn to work. I have parents and students flocking to look at the list of employers who have signed on to take youth apprentice applications during every hiring cycle. But, invariably, those eager students walk away disappointed when the list of potential positions consists almost exclusively of jobs in the construction or automotive repair industries.  

These are great occupations. The construction and automotive sectors are indeed high-growth and high-demand industries. These trades are traditionally full of men and suited for hands-on learners and those desiring jobs that require physical labor. Not that women aren’t present in these fields or can’t do this kind of work; and yes, young women should be recruited more heavily into these careers — but that’s a different conversation. What about the high school student who works in food service or retail — aren’t these also high-growth, high-demand jobs? If the pandemic taught us anything about essential workers, it would seem that they are, as well as grocery store cashiers, custodians, delivery drivers, and customer service representatives of all kinds. Yet these positions aren’t part of Maryland’s youth apprenticeship program and don’t seem to hold nearly the same level of prestige as the term “apprentice.”

We don’t generally consider the student worker taking our coffee order an apprentice because that title is traditionally used for someone learning a craft or trade. But, in the world of educational benchmarks, blueprints, and career readiness, the title matters. A youth apprentice student earns weighted credit, just like those taking an AP class, for their time on the job in many Maryland school systems. Their position also carries a higher stature than the work-study student with the job title cashier or barista. Students who fulfill the requirements of a youth apprenticeship in Maryland are considered career-ready and can use their work experience and training toward their high school diploma. The student selling televisions at a big box store does not receive the weighted credit and certainly is not referred to as an apprentice.

They should be, though. The employee skills that high school students learn simply by working for someone outside their household are essential for their future success and the success of our future workforce. We need to recognize and value these experiences at the same level we do the student training in an auto-body shop, who is called an apprentice.  

Take Jonathan, the student who sells televisions and computers for a national chain store located by the mall in his town. He’s 17 years old, and his manager can’t wait for him to turn 18 so he can enter the management training program with the company. He’s respected and relied upon by co-workers and loves his job. But, according to the Maryland State Department of Education, Jonathan’s work experience isn’t as valuable as that of a student working for an approved youth apprentice employer. Jonathan is in the work-study program through his high school, which allows him to work part of his school day and earn money, but his work experience alone won’t qualify him for a graduation “completer” required by the state. He still needs to take the college prep track classes since his job isn’t considered an apprenticeship. Apparently, it’s not high growth or high demand enough to satisfy the youth apprenticeship role. It also doesn’t have the status that the term apprentice implies.

Among the 850,000 plus students in Maryland schools in 2021, only 90 were in the youth apprentice program² — or a small fraction of 1%. When compared to national labor statistics, which report about 54% of young adults were employed during this same time period, it shows a significant disparity between apprenticeship offerings and the actual jobs that teens are fulfilling in our economy.³ So, why don’t we consider Jonathan at the big box store an apprentice? He’s fulfilling an essential job and developing essential skills that make him even more valuable to the company he’s currently working for. Even if he decides to pursue another career pathway after high school, these skills and connections will transfer with him.

Since the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law in 2018, there has been a lot of national attention on developing or strengthening work-based learning programs and increasing the number of students in them. States are all over the board in terms of numbers and successes. Wisconsin, however, is a good example of how to include a diverse sample of employers and industries and thereby give access to a high number of students in their youth apprentice program.

In 2021, Wisconsin reported that 5,418 students were youth apprentices. How did the Wisconsin Departments of Workforce Development and Education find almost 4,000 employers to take on high school apprentices?⁴ They are drawing from all sectors of industry and all types of jobs qualify as apprenticeships. An apprentice can work and train as a customer service representative in the Marketing Pathway or work in the Food/Beverages Service Pathway, where so many teens find their first jobs.⁵ There has always been inconsistency between terminology and state reporting in educational programs, but it’s precisely the terminology that may be making or breaking youth apprentice programs across the country. It comes back to the appeal that the term apprentice has for so many students, parents, and employers. 

Teen employees in their schools’ work-based learning programs learn valuable lessons that are the basis for any future career. High school workers gain more independence, responsibility, and time management skills than their peers who haven’t entered the workforce. Many of their jobs require them to interact with the public, learn to communicate with customers and co-workers, and be flexible and self-motivated. Youth apprenticeship programs across the country would benefit from recognizing the value of students developing these soft skills just as they do those who are gaining industry certifications.

Particularly in our post-pandemic employment environment, every employer I speak to tells me they can train any self-motivated student to do the job, gain certifications, or qualify for advancement if the student has the basics of being a good employee. All jobs, whether they are called apprenticeships or not, require that kind of skill development, and supporting more students through more diverse and appealing programs would benefit them as future workers and benefit our employers who are struggling to build a workforce. 

Programs like Maryland’s youth apprenticeship are valuable pipelines into specific industries. They can lead young workers into a registered apprenticeship and are indeed one way to enter some high-wage, high-demand careers. Many of the 90 students in Maryland who gained high school graduation credit in 2021 through their youth apprenticeship program continued to work with their employers after completing their training.² But the small size of the program, after six years in operation, indicates that a shift in perspective as well as more tangible opportunities for students to enter the program is likely necessary. 

A youth apprentice doesn’t need to be a student working with tools, technology, or in specific industries. Students working the drive-thru may actually be laying the foundation for a career in management, sales, or any industry that values hard work, customer service, and reliability. The appeal of the apprentice label also needs to be reconsidered. In the current labor market, employers place an incredibly high value on an employee who shows up on time, learns the routines of the workplace, is open to new challenges, and takes pride in doing a good job. The vast majority of high school students I work with fulfill those expectations, yet their work-study jobs don’t receive the same level of clout or high school credit as a youth apprenticeship.

Perhaps it’s time we value the workers we not so long ago considered essential, and we recognize that basic employment skills are the foundation for every career field. There are no specific graduation accolades or high-value labels that celebrate the student who stocks shelves, but they are, in fact, apprentices who fulfill high-demand and high-growth jobs that we all rely on. 

Jamey Melcher (jameywmelcher@gmail.com) is a work-based learning coordinator for Maryland’s Frederick County Public Schools.

NOTES

1. “Working to Learn and Learning to Work.” Bellwether Education. American Student Assistance, 2021. https://bellwethereducation.org/sites/default/files/Bellwether-ASA_Work-basedLearning_Final.pdf.
2. “Youth Apprenticeship Advisory Committee Annual Report 2021.” Maryland Department of Labor, December 1, 2021.   https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/appr/youthapprannrep2021.pdf.
3. “Employment and Unemployment Among Youth - Summer 2022 - Bureau of Labor ...” https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf. Bureau of Labor Statistics US Department of Labor, August 17, 2022. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf.
4.  “YA Student Participation Dashboard.” Department of Workforce Development. Accessed November 16, 2022.             https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship/ya/yoda.htm.
5. “Become a Youth Apprentice.” Department of Workforce Development. Accessed November 16, 2022.                          https://www.dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship/ya-applicants.htm.