Karen Gardiner is a senior fellow in the Work, Education, and Justice division at the Urban Institute and expert on workforce development and career pathways. She has led major evaluations of apprenticeship, job training and employment programs for federal agencies, including the U.S. departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.
Today’s young Americans want good jobs — those that provide livable wages, growth opportunities, flexibility, benefits and safe working conditions — but many are entering the grimmest job market in years.
College graduates and parents alike are concerned about the effect of artificial intelligence on early career opportunities. And for high school students, the prospect of enrolling in college and potentially taking on debt for a four-year degree without the certainty of a good job may not feel like a satisfactory pathway. Luckily, it’s not the only one.
Alternative pathways to good jobs do exist, but too many students and parents either do not know about them or view them as second tier. That perception continues even as work-based learning opportunities increasingly connect students to careers with strong earnings potential.
Rather than reinforcing the idea that a four-year degree is the only path to a good job, policymakers, education and workforce leaders, and researchers can prove the effectiveness of different pathways and ensure that high school students know they have options.
What types of alternative pathways are available?
States and the federal government have invested heavily in work-based learning over the past decade. One such option, registered apprenticeship, is regarded as the premier “earn and learn” model because apprentices begin earning wages immediately and see their wages increase as they master competencies. Registered apprenticeships combine on-the-job learning with classroom instruction, often provided by community or technical colleges.
Historically, apprenticeships in the U.S. have trained workers in the building trades. However, state and federal initiatives have sought to expand apprenticeships to nontraditional occupations, including those in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology. Today, the U.S. has more than 714,000 apprentices, an 80.5% increase from 2016.
An apprenticeship does not stop someone from pursuing a college degree. In fact, apprenticeships with a degree-seeking component are gaining traction. For example, Harper College, outside Chicago, offers apprenticeship programs in a range of industries, such as insurance, graphic design and finance, that culminate in an associate degree. Students can then transfer to a four-year degree program if they want.
Sector-based training programs, which work with employers to ensure they meet labor market needs, also offer an alternative route to a traditional four-year degree. By focusing on quality jobs in targeted high-demand industries, these programs enable students to earn a valuable credential and college credit simultaneously.
For example, Connecticut State Community College offers this type of program for advanced manufacturing. With more than 4,600 manufacturing establishments in the state, according to economic development nonprofit AdvanceCT, including several large aerospace and military contractors, CT State's one- to two-year advanced manufacturing programs seek to introduce students to an in-demand career path they may not otherwise consider.
Advanced manufacturing may invoke images of heavy equipment, but visit an advanced manufacturing lab and you will see lots of computers. At CT State, high school students and their parents are brought on tours led by a program director to dispel myths about manufacturing jobs. They won’t see oil and grease. But if they are lucky, they will see a Star Wars character being created by a 3D printer, as I did at CT State Asnuntuck.
Why are alternative pathways beneficial?
Four-year degrees are expensive, and students who enroll may feel the cost for years. When I was a college student in the 1980s, I graduated from a heavily taxpayer-subsidized state school without debt. In the 2023-24 academic year, the average public university graduate who took out loans accumulated over $27,000 in student debt, according to data from the College Board.
But more to the point, most people, including college graduates, do not learn how to do a job by sitting in the classroom. They learn on the job, under supervisors, mentors and peers. Alternative pathways prioritize this hands-on learning.
Evaluations of registered apprenticeship programs conducted by my colleagues and me show promising employment and earnings gains.
One study that included Harper College found that apprentices experienced a 49% increase in earnings, on average, between the program start date and one year after completion. Further, a study published in April found that registered apprenticeships boosted quarterly earnings from about $3,200 to $4,700 roughly two years after enrollment. Evaluations of sector-based training programs that target high-wage occupations, such as Year Up and Project QUEST, also show increases in earnings.
Families and graduating high school students need to see this kind of evidence. Too many students hear about only one “respectable” path after high school. Too many parents still see apprenticeships, nondegree credentials and community college programs as backup plans rather than real opportunities. But students do not have to choose between work and higher education.
Expanding young people’s job prospects through alternative pathways
By building evidence about the effectiveness of workforce training programs and ensuring families have that information, education and workforce leaders can reinforce that a four-year degree isn’t the only path to a good job.
Program operators and policymakers can do more to promote alternative pathways. Workforce Pell Grants provide funding for tuition and expenses associated with short-term career training programs that lead to stackable credentials and in-demand jobs. California, which aims to have 500,000 registered apprentices by 2029, invests millions in apprenticeships, with much funding dedicated to helping employers start programs and maintain them. Building evidence about the outcomes and impacts of these alternative pathways is also critical.
As the job market for younger Americans continues to change, the question for most students becomes: What gives me the best chance at a good job, manageable costs and room to keep learning? Alternative pathways are not lesser pathways. For many people, they may be the most practical way to start.
