Closing America’s job skills gap hinges on apprenticeship programs, suggests a new Department of Commerce study. Apprenticeships train workers to fill important jobs, providing companies with a talent pipeline, and perhaps most critically, allow companies to bring on highly skilled workers to complement new technologies and equipment.
Despite fears surrounding technological obsolescence, “this idea that there’s necessarily a conflict between automation and employment is really wrong,” says Susan Helper, a PVMI member and economist at Case Western University. “Apprenticeship is really a great step to bridge these gaps.”
Related Reading
Measuring ROI Leads to Better Apprenticeship Programs
Greg Goth, Society for Human Resource Management, Jan. 18, 2017
Now Is the Time to Invest in Apprenticeships
Angela Hanks, Center for American Progress, Nov. 18, 2016
The Benefits and Costs of Apprenticeships: A Business Perspective (PDF)
Case Western Reserve University, Nov. 2016