New Coalition with States and Industry to Champion More Apprenticeships for Young People

ST. LOUIS—CareerWise and the AFT, alongside a broad coalition of partners, today announced the launch of the Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator, a groundbreaking effort aimed at strengthening career and technical education by dramatically expanding apprenticeship opportunities for youth across the United States. With ambitious goals and powerful backing from state and industry leaders, the initiative seeks to ensure that more high school students can connect with real earn-and-learn opportunities in apprenticeships across a variety of industries and careers.

This national effort kicks off with the commitments of key states across the U.S., including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where governors and state leaders are engaged in pioneering work to position apprenticeship as a high-quality option for America’s young people to connect with careers across industries.

Through a combination of on-the-ground system-building and aligned local and state policies, this unique coalition aims to better connect American education and apprenticeship to set the bar for demand-driven workforce development. State and national partners in the coalition will work closely with policymakers, education leaders, employers, labor and community organizations to invest and expand in the critical foundation CTE provides for students interested in apprenticeship opportunities and how best to prepare for and access them.

“North Carolina’s greatest asset is its people,” said Gov. Josh Stein, “and we strengthen our workforce by investing in career and technical education. I am pleased to join this coalition to provide students with pathways to good-paying jobs, and I encourage more employers to engage in these opportunities to build the talented and reliable workforce of tomorrow.”

“In Colorado,” said Gov. Jared Polis, “we’ve seen firsthand how apprenticeships can transform lives and strengthen our workforce. As governor and president of the National Governors Association, I’ve made it a priority to align education with the real-world needs of our economy. That’s why I’m proud for Colorado to join the Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator. This initiative will help states like ours go further, faster—scaling apprenticeships through smart policy, strong partnerships and a shared commitment to opportunity. I encourage fellow governors and industry leaders to join us in this national movement to ensure every student has a pathway to success.”

As part of this coalition, state and national leaders will also work to position apprenticeship as a gold-standard workforce strategy by aligning policies and strategies that expand apprenticeship opportunities across more industries, while supporting greater use of apprenticeships by employers.

“In New York, we know that an investment in our students today is an investment in our workforce tomorrow,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “I am proud to be part of this groundbreaking coalition ensuring high schoolers have access to quality, paid apprenticeship opportunities. By partnering with industry leaders, the Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator will bolster high-demand fields like cybersecurity and information technology with talent right here in New York.”

“Every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed—and career and technical education and apprenticeships open doors to Pennsylvania students every single day,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro. “That’s why my administration has increased funding for CTE and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million since I took office—an increase of more than 50 percent. As a result, 3,000 more students are now enrolled in CTE programs across Pennsylvania, and we’ve registered nearly 100 new apprenticeship programs since 2022 and enrolled more than 14,600 new apprentices—and that’s just the start. My administration will continue to respect and invest in all paths to success and work with organizations like CareerWise and the AFT to bring that opportunity to more Pennsylvanians.”

Critically, the Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator is backed by partners that have long recognized the power of apprenticeships to build diverse, job-ready talent pools. This includes workforce leaders like the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades committing to expand youth apprenticeship opportunities in critical sectors.

“At IUPAT, we’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of finally bringing career and technical education and registered apprenticeship together,” said IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams Jr. “For decades, these two systems ran on parallel tracks, but breaking down those long-standing barriers isn’t just an education reform—it’s a revolution in how we build careers. When a student can go from the classroom straight into a union apprenticeship, it’s like throwing open the doors to a real career path, leading directly to a good-paying job. This integration is changing lives and strengthening our industry at the same time.”

Within states, coalition partners will be a source of support, providing technical assistance on policy and strategy and engaging industry to help partners reach their apprenticeship goals and outcomes for youth. The coalition will also be an important vehicle for informing local, state and federal policies that support the goal of connecting more youth to apprenticeship opportunities. The broad cross-sector dialogue possible within this unique coalition is essential for advancing what works while also informing future directions for better aligned education and apprenticeship systems that will be critical for confronting the workforce challenges of today and the future.

“To nurture opportunity in America’s public schools, we must create multiple educational and economic pathways that our young people are interested in and engaged by,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The skilled workforce of tomorrow starts with public schools, particularly high schools, that are safe, welcoming and chock-full of relevant coursework and programs. That’s why we’re building gateways to both college and career, through microchip manufacturing, culinary arts, welding and electrical engineering, to name just a few. I’m so encouraged that this coalition of government, industry and labor is acting now to roll out high-quality, paid youth apprenticeships for tens of thousands of high school seniors across the country. We won’t rest as we scale-up our efforts in the months and years ahead.”

In the coming months the coalition will focus its early efforts on working with public and private sector partners to build awareness and increase visibility of the transformative potential of apprenticeship opportunities for America’s young people, while also working together to identify and advance policies and strategies that can scale these demand-driven opportunities across industries.

“To truly scale youth apprenticeship in this country, we need more than good programs—we need aligned systems and supportive policies that make these pathways a permanent part of how we prepare young people for the future,” said Noel Ginsburg, founder and CEO of CareerWise. “The Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator is about creating that infrastructure across states, industries and education systems. We’re not just launching an initiative—we’re building a movement. And there’s room at the table. We invite more state and industry leaders to join us in shaping a modern, inclusive workforce by investing in the next generation through apprenticeship.”

To see all of our committed partners at the launch of the Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator, click here.

CareerWise Media Contact:
Shauna Harman
Director of Marketing and Communications
shauna.harman@careerwiseusa.org
317-345-1496

AFT Media Contact:
Andrew Crook
National Press Secretary
acrook@aft.org
607-262-9431

About CareerWise

CareerWise USA is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to modernizing youth apprenticeship and creating career pathways for students across the United States. The organization partners with schools and businesses to offer multiyear, paid apprenticeships to high school students, providing meaningful work experience. Through its national consulting practice, CareerWise consults with cities and states from California to Maryland to develop tailored youth apprenticeship systems that meet the unique needs of local students and economies. Additionally, CareerWise champions legislative efforts at the state and federal levels to encourage system alignment and support the expansion of youth apprenticeship programs.