Apprenticeship Fact Sheets: The Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship recently updated their fact sheets on apprenticeships. These fact sheets cover a wide range of industries, learner groups such as veterans, initiatives by the office and more. For example, the “Explore Registered Apprenticeship” fact sheet notes that 94% of apprentices who complete a Registered Apprenticeship program remain employed and earn a yearly average salary of $84,000.
State of the Nation Report: The State of the Nation Project, a bipartisan group comprised of policy experts from various organizations, recently published their State of the Nation report. The report evaluates the United States' progress across several key areas, comparing current performance with historical trends and the progress of other nations globally.
The average number of years in education for people aged 25-54 has been steadily increasing for the past few decades, an increase seen in other nations as well.
- The number of adults aged 18-24 employed or in school has been rising, outside a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The percentage of adults aged 25-54 who are employed has typically fluctuated between 75% and 82%, behind many other wealthy nations.
Geography of Opportunity: The Institute for College Access and Success released a study on the availability of broad-access institutions (BAIs) — colleges that admit at least 80% of applicants — across the nation. The researchers place special attention on some of the nation's smallest and largest commuting zones, which are zones that share a common economy and labor market, analyzing how many Americans may potentially have no access to nearby BAIs.
They found that 2.8 million people live in a small-population zone with no BAIs and 5.9 million in a small-population zone with only one BAI. Furthermore, since BAIs in these small-population zones often make up a significant portion of the zone’s postsecondary enrollment, they play a tremendous role in providing education and workforce opportunities.
In addition, researchers found that a significant number of people in large-population zones also lack access to multiple BAIs. These findings demonstrate how a student’s place of living can dramatically affect their access to postsecondary education opportunities.
Pathways to Implementation: Bellwether produced a series of briefs that guides state leaders and policymakers to develop and sustain effective career pathways programs for students in their state.
The briefs in the series, seven in total, each focus on a single element critical to building out career pathways programs such as stakeholder engagement, communications, and data; discuss challenges state policymakers may face; and provide examples from other states who have successfully implemented each element.
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