June 4, 2019
Brent Parton, was quoted in this Industry Week article on youth apprenticeship. He suggested that we lack a national strategy that prioritizes youth apprenticeship as an effective talent pipeline to boost the sector’s competitiveness and spread economic opportunity across the country.
"Like other countries, in the U.S. we have the same strong manufacturing tradition,” says Brent Parton, deputy director of the Center on Education & Skills, at New America, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. “But unlike those other countries, we lack a national strategy that prioritizes youth apprenticeship as an effective talent pipeline to boost the sector’s competitiveness and spread economic opportunity across the country.”
Providing economic opportunity through manufacturing historically was key to creating a middle class. Currently, that middle class is shrinking, and now policy leaders are turning their attention back to this field. Apprenticeships offer a direct route to economic prosperity according to New America.
“Apprenticeships can promote a more inclusive economy while also meeting the needs of business,” says Parton.
“How do you build equity pathways?” asks Parton. “It has to be done intentionally. You have to ensure that everyone is hearing the message about these opportunities. The message needs to be heard at an early age and then acted upon in high school. Guidance counselors need to point students in this direction. Employers need to be ready to support the success of young apprentices even if they don’t look like them or their current employees.”