4th Transatlantic Webinar: Youth Apprenticeship – What Germany Can Learn from the US
In a webinar on October 14, organized by GOVET with New America and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, experts from Germany and the US discussed quality assurance, benefits for employers and young apprentices, and Wisconsin’s success story.
Paid workplace learning while still in high school: Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program offers a practical example of how education and employment can connect early. At a webinar on October 14, hosted by GOVET, the US think tank New America Foundation, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, experts from Germany and the US explored what makes these programs work – and what Germany could learn from them.
Learning, gaining practical experience, and earning a wage: For young people in the US, this journey can begin while they are still in high school. The “4th Transatlantic VET Webinar on Youth Apprenticeship as a Model for German VET?” explored how these opportunities take shape. Representatives of the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) and Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship shared their approaches and discussed common challenges with German vocational education and training experts.
PAYA defines youth apprenticeship as a structured, work-based learning built on partnerships that include employers, high schools, and providers of postsecondary education. For German participants, the discussion offered an opportunity to explore ways to engage young people, strengthen local partnerships, and bring more employers into apprenticeship training.
Speakers included Taylor White, Director of the Postsecondary Pathways for Youth program at the Center on Education and Labor (CELNA), and David D. Polk, Director of Wisconsin’s Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards. Prof. Dr. Hubert Ertl, Research Director of Germany’s Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), welcomed participants on behalf of the German hosts.
Four Pillars for a Strong Start to Working Life
How can apprenticeships become more accessible, affordable, and rewarding for young people? Launched in 2018, PAYA works to address this question. Its goal is to support youth apprenticeship as an affordable, mainstream, postsecondary option that leads to equitable access and high-quality work that pays a family-sustaining wage.
Founded by New America Foundation in collaboration with national partner organizations, PAYA is a national field-building initiative that advances youth apprenticeship through research, policy development, grants, technical assistance and a network of partners.
PAYA identifies four pillars of a high-quality youth apprenticeship: paid work experience, formal classroom instruction, skills assessments, and a recognized credential. Credentials should ensure that the skills apprentices acquire have value beyond any individual employer and are recognized across industries and by postsecondary institutions.
Erica Simon, Deputy Director of PAYA, and Lancy Downs, Senior Policy Analyst at CELNA, highlighted what this means for young people: they “don’t have to choose between supporting their family and investing in their own education – an apprenticeship makes both possible.” Employers benefit too, gaining an opportunity to identify new talent and develop their future workforce.
Wisconsin Shows What Is Possible
More than 12,000 apprentices and around 8,100 employers: Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program demonstrates the scale that early workplace learning can achieve. According to the program, participation by both young people and employers has increased sharply, particularly in the last 10 years.
“It is deeply rooted in the German model, and we are now celebrating 35 years of the youth apprenticeship model,” said David D. Polk as he introduced Wisconsin’s approach. Founded in 1991, the program connects classroom learning with workplace experience across the state. Maintaining and improving training quality across its 83 occupations is central to its work.
John Keckhaver, YA Section Chief, attributed the growth to demographic trends as well as changes in administrative requirements. Schools and other stakeholders are expected to invest more in career development, and apprenticeships offer one way to turn that commitment into practical opportunities for students.
Learning from Each Other
How can more young people be supported to complete their apprenticeships? And how can more employers be encouraged to offer training? The open discussion revealed that Germany and the US face similar challenges.
John Keckhaver emphasized the importance of taking concerns seriously and making successful examples visible: “We need to respond to the fears of employers around hiring youth, and highlight the experience of youth apprenticeship employer champions to show other employers it is a model they can use.”
For German participants, the American examples offered practical ideas to consider within their own education and training system. Paid workplace learning during high school can help young people explore career options early. Closer cooperation between schools, employers, and other local partners can support that transition, while sharing employers’ experiences can encourage more businesses to participate.
Kirsten Bagusch, Head of Division at the Berlin Senate Department for Labor, and Holger Boos, Managing Director of the EU Office and Public Relations at the Düsseldorf District Government in North Rhine-Westphalia, found useful ideas for their own work. In his closing remarks, Prof. Dr. Ertl highlighted local partnerships as a particular takeaway for recruiting apprentices in their communities.
The exchange brought three approaches into focus for German participants: connecting school with paid workplace learning, strengthening local partnerships, and helping more employers offer apprenticeships. Wisconsin’s experience shows how a program inspired by Germany’s training tradition can, in turn, contribute ideas to its further development.