CareerWise New York

In New York City, only 27 out of every 100 students who begin high school emerges from their journey along the traditional American educational pathway with a college degree. Many of that minority of young people who do attain a degree, and even more of those who do not finish at all, acquire significant student debt along the way. As a result of this “leaky pipeline,” most students enter the labor market without the credential that is the minimum requirement for most entry-level, family-sustaining positions. We see the stark impact of these challenges play out in the fact that low-wage jobs with limited or no opportunities for advancement are disproportionately held by young people of color. In today’s college-for-all mindset, more than three-quarters of our city’s young people are left without a path to expansive, meaningful career opportunities. Apprenticeship provides young people with the skills and social capital they need to enter good jobs, make informed choices about higher education, or both.