Who can become an apprentice?

Are you an employer wondering who can be your apprentice? Or are you looking to start a career as an apprentice? Let's talk about who can become an apprentice.

But first, the short answer -- anyone. Anyone can become an apprentice.

You can be an apprentice at any (working) age. You can hire an apprentice at any (working) age. Now for some nuance...

Who can become my apprentice?

If you're an employer looking for an apprentice, you might be wondering where you can start. Do you need to pluck someone off the street and invest in them as an apprentice? You can! However, you don't have to.

In fact, many employers start by making existing, or incumbent, employees their apprentices. Let's say you're looking for a new machinist for your factory. You could try to hire someone off the street. Or, you can invest in the people you've already vetted. Maybe you have someone who works in the warehouse, or on the shop floor in a less skilled position? In doing so, you're creating pathways for any of your employees to level up. You're investing in people who've already demonstrated their commitment and rewarding them in kind.

Eventually, you may need to recruit externally for your apprenticeship just like any other job, but it's often best to do so after you have experience running the apprenticeship. You'll know better what to look for. Or, you can simply continue to invest internally and use the potential for an apprenticeship as a carrot for your more entry level positions.

What is the average age of an apprentice?

While it varies by state and industry, in the United States, the average age of an apprentice is 29 years old. This often means apprentices have bounced around from some college as well as some entry-level or retail jobs before finding an apprenticeship. It's a reflection of how much work the U.S. apprenticeship system still has to do. Well established apprenticeship systems such as in Switzerland see an average apprentice age of 17 -- saving 10+ years of career wandering for everyone. There's a direct pipeline from high school to an apprenticeship. There are efforts to change this. Many states are investing in building youth apprenticeships to counteract this issue.

What are youth apprentices?

Like many things in the U.S. apprenticeship system, the term "youth apprenticeship" varies from state-to-state. For the purpose of this post, youth apprentices are under 18, often still in high school.

Many states are investing in youth apprenticeship programs to help provide a pathway into apprenticeships directly from high school -- sometimes even during high school. This is an attempt to bring down that average apprentice age mentioned above. This is a somewhat herculean effort as it often requires coordinating employers, high schools, and community colleges to ensure these systems all work together. Some states in particular, like South Carolina and North Carolina, tend to be ahead of others on this front. They've largely benefited from European manufacturers in the area with established apprenticeship cultures they've brought from Germany and Switzerland. These employers help influence local schools to promote apprenticeships just as they promote college.

Are apprenticeships gender specific?

Certainly not. While 90% of apprentices are men, that's particularly skewed by the fact that over 60% of apprenticeships are still in construction. If you're a woman interested in construction, you'll find there are organizations that give additional support to help you break into these typically male industries. Groups such as Tradeswomen, Inc and Oregon Tradeswomen are two examples. If you're a woman, but you're not interested in construction, fear not. The industries that are seeing major growth in apprenticeships are outside of construction -- IT, healthcare, professional services, advanced manufacturing, and more. No matter your gender, apprenticeships can be for you.

How can I become an apprentice?

If you've read this far, you know you can often become an apprentice if your employer already has an apprenticeship program to promote you into. If you're in high school, you may be lukcy enough to be in a state that promotes youth apprenticeships. Otherwise, it can take years until you find an apprenticeship. Here's why - apprenticeships simply aren't easy to find. That's exactly why we built Community, but while we're building that up, you might need other options. To become an apprentice, you need to find the apprenticeship programs. Some states will have full lists of apprenticeship programs, like Washington, where you can find all potential programs. From there, you likely need to look up each one to see which is taking applications. Other states, like New York, have a list of recruitments live on their website. Or apprenticeship.gov has a nationwide Job Finder that may have more depending on which state you're searching. If you want to become an apprentice, the real answer is this -- keep trying. Keep an eye on opportunities. Enter the industry some other way to gain any experience. Stay flexible in terms of what you're committed to, and eventually, you'll find and become an apprentice.