Reports are coming in that construction apprenticeships including electrical, drywall, carpenters and more are doubling class sizes from one year to the next.
Here at GoSprout, we’re not surprised at all.
A recent article from Hawaii’s Khon 2 titled “Apprenticeship Graduation Highlights Surging Demand in Booming Construction Industry” had some enlightening statistics from the local trade organizations.
The article quotes International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 1186 as responding:
We used to bring about 40 per year, maybe two classes per year, just this past year, we brought in 40 in one class. We’re looking at bringing in close to 100, I believe, this year.
Why the Boom?
Gen Z Is “The Toolbelt Generation“
A number of factors are driving the increasing enrollment in apprenticeships.
Many in Gen Z are wary of the traditional student debt-funded path to a higher degree. On top of that, many prefer to work on their feet and not be chained to a desk.
Working outdoors in Hawaii’s booming construction is appealing to these workers, who can start an apprenticeship without the necessary skillset they would have to already possess to be hired directly.
Gen Z Doesn’t Already Have the Skills
Unlike other generations who grew up doing handyman work and maintaining automobiles, Gen Z has to find a way to get these skills. Registered apprenticeships are a viable path that also pays real money while a degree is in the works.
And the path to a well-paid job is much more straightforward.
The article quotes the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund as saying they shifted from two enrollment periods per year to ongoing open enrollment.
And this trend in only going to increase. With the fallout from Covid-19, there’s also a new human resources phenomena being referred to as The Deskless Worker Movement. These entrants like working on their feet and may bring “desk tools” with them in the form of augmented reality goggles and sound activated AI.
Apprenticeship Grants and Other Benefits
Employers can access significant funding with a registered apprenticeship. With The White House pushing apprenticeships and various Department of Labor Apprenticeship initiatives, the grants available are only growing.
At the Federal level, government contracts will start to favor employers with apprenticeship programs more and more as these initiatives take full effect.
How GoSprout Can Help
Founder Carlos Vazquez was all in on registered apprenticeships as a way to increase equity and open pathways out of poverty for our nations youth even before all the positive news from 2024.
With years of software development, GoSprout’s apprenticeship management platform not only unites all stakeholders around RAPs, but it now also features a pre-apprenticeship module that allows high schools to benefit their communities and raise post-graduation earnings potential.
On top of the software, GoSprout is building a community of apprenticeship stakeholders that support each other and connect to form programs in underserved communities.
If you want to learn more about any of these emerging trends, schedule a meeting with us. We would love to learn more about your organization and discuss how you may benefit from launching your own registered apprenticeship program.
