Apprenticeships — in which an individual is paid to learn a set of skills through on-the-job training — help meet labor demands of businesses, while offering workers higher wages and better employment outcome. A December report by the Center for American Progress analyzed the effectiveness and return on investment for apprenticeships. These programs, the study found, not only generate a high level of satisfaction among employers, but also lead to significant increases in lifetime earnings for workers — as much as $300,000. The apprenticeship model, however, is not widely used in the United States. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, less than 5 percent of U.S. secondary-school students take part in apprenticeships. But the model has begun to attract the attention of more state lawmakers.
