The College Fix

But more are needed; apprenticeships in the U.S. remain ‘massively under-scaled’: report

Entering 2025, community colleges are expanding apprenticeships and other experienced-based learning programs to address America’s labor shortage crisis and meet a growing demand for alternative forms of higher education.

“Community colleges are going beyond their traditional role of instruction, helping to organize, register, and assist companies in running their apprenticeship programs,” John Colborn, executive director of Apprenticeships for America, told The College Fix.

“By expanding these services, they reduce barriers for employers to offer apprenticeships,” he said in a phone interview earlier this month.

A recent report by Colborn’s organization shows the number of community colleges with active apprenticeships has grown from just 30 to over 200 between 2016 and 2023.

However, apprenticeships in the U.S. remain “massively under-scaled,” according to the report.

“Growing apprenticeships to levels seen in other countries will require significant effort and investment. However, community colleges seem well-positioned [to] act as an accelerator,” the report, co-authored by Colborn, states.

Colborn said he has worked with many employers facing difficulties in filling job positions. His organization aims to increase the number of available apprenticeship opportunities and raise awareness.

“Employers are increasingly looking for someone with experience, even for entry-level positions,” he said.

However, he told The Fix this creates a “pain point.” It is difficult for workers to gain experience without first securing an entry-level job.

Colborn said his organization believes apprenticeships are “a good solution” to this dilema. Apprentices gain on-the-job training under the guidance of experienced employers while also earning a salary.

“It allows employers to bring in someone without experience and train them to become productive workers, all while they gain real-world exposure to workplace demands,” Colborn said.

According to his organization’s November report, apprenticeships provide “a way for community colleges to address the skepticism of students that has driven enrollment declines in recent years.”

What’s more, apprenticeships are “demonstrably connected to an employment outcome” and do not “entail incurring student debt.”

“Finally, apprenticeship uniquely answers those questioning the value of higher education institutions and their outcomes,” the report states.

To better support such opportunities, “traditional community college tuition and financing methods can be made to better support apprenticeships” through “Pell and GI Bill tuition assistance,” according to the report.

MORE: Industry apprenticeships prepare students where colleges fail: report

The most significant labor shortages are evident in skilled trades such as construction and manufacturing, as well as the healthcare industry.

An Associated Builders and Contractors Association news release states that nearly half a million additional workers are needed to meet the industry demands in 2025.

Another study by the Manufacturing Institute in 2021 found an estimated 4 million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled by 2030.

Many community colleges work directly with employers to meet the shortage, but some employers also are starting their own in-house training programs.

Janet Tomcavage, executive vice president and chief nursing executive of Geisinger Health System, told The Fix in a recent interview about the success of its in-house nursing scholars program since it began in 2021.

One of the largest medical providers in Pennsylvania, Geisinger recently expanded the program to “to include pathways for LPNs, surgical technologists and certified medical assistants,” as well as registered nurses, Tomcavage said.

Through the program, employees receive financial support, educational resources, and flexible schedules to facilitate both learning and job training while attending nursing school. Upon completion, participants commit to working at Geisinger for two to three years.

Data from the Bureau of Health Workforce projects a shortage of more than 200,000 registered nurses and 300,000 licensed practical nurses over the next 12 years, with the greatest need being in rural areas.

By supporting the training of its own employees, Geisinger wants to ensure access to reliable workers. Tomcavage said the most valuable resource for the health care system is its people.

“We believe it helps us with retention of this precious resource,” she told The Fix. “They are who Geisinger is and what makes it what it is, and this is our way of investing in our people by offering them professional development opportunities.”

Some universities also have recognized the need to alter traditional secondary education by incorporating more experience-based learning to address the shortage of skilled trade workers.

For example, Clemson University’s bachelor’s degree in construction science and management has a 100-percent employment rate post-graduation, The Fix reported previously. This trade-specific degree includes hands-on training and 800 hours of required internship experience within the industry.

At the government level, some states also are eliminating degree requirements for government jobs, including Indiana, Maryland, and Utah.

MORE: Gov’t should give more money to fill trade jobs, groups say

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