Report/Research
How Apprenticeship Programs for Opportunity Youth Stay Resilient Through the COVID-19 Recession
This report looks at strategies for sustaining and expanding Registered Apprenticeship pathways for opportunity youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors highlight promising practices from workforce boards and community-based organizations, and address topics including the digital divide, occupational mobility, and the provision of services and supports.
The ongoing pandemic has created a host of challenges for workforce development initiatives. Apprenticeship programs have been hit especially hard and are dealing with three primary concerns:
- The loss of employer hosts for apprentices
- The need to determine the best way to support employers, classroom training providers, and apprentices amid the shift to virtual environments
- The challenge of forging new partnerships at a time when most potential partners are focused on urgent internal matters
Based on observations of apprenticeship programs working specifically with opportunity youth, this report highlights lessons organizations have learned and emerging practices they are adopting as they navigate these obstacles.
