Page 19 - Skills - 2024

Apprenticeships Are
Helping Young Adults
Launch Careers
BY STACEY PFEFFER
> $29,400
Average student loan debt in 2021-22 for bachelor’s degree recipients
> $17-21 per hour
A construction apprentice’s average starting wage
Sources: College Board, Construction Industry Council of Westchester and the Hudson Valley
Not everyone can afford a traditional four-year degree, and for some students, college may not be the right path. With college education costs on the rise, many young adults are looking for an alternative means to help them
gain employment — enter apprenticeships, which teach valuable career skills that can help young adults “earn while they learn” in a variety of industries or help those who are seeking to enter a new career field.
The average student loan debt for bachelor’s degree recipients was $29,400 for the 2021-22 school year, according to a report published by the College Board last year. Students in Westchester County often face an even larger financial burden to pay for college, with many graduates attending costly private or out-of-state public universities.
“The schools that many Westchester high school graduates are aiming for actually cost a lot more than that figure,” argues George Drapeau, publishing and public affairs specialist at the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and the Hudson Valley, a professional trade organization in the region’s construction industry. Many of the council’s members offer apprenticeship opportunities here in Westchester.
Traditionally, apprenticeship has always been strongest in the building trades, with almost 15,000 apprenticeships available in New York State, according to the Department of Labor. “Right off the bat, apprentices in construction can earn $17-21 per hour, learning a skill that is transferrable anywhere in the world,” says Drapeau.
Apprenticeships can vary in length from 12 months for jobs such as a heavy truck driver, to six years for highly specialized fields such as a machine tool builder. As apprentices gain competency and move through the program, their salary usually increases.
Apprenticeships Available in More Fields
“While apprenticeships have traditionally been in
the construction field, the scope of industries offering apprenticeships has expanded greatly,” notes Jason Chapin, director of workforce development at the Westchester County Association. Forty out of 53 new programs for
What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed. 2024 SKILLS 17
© Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1