Earn, Produce, Learn: Expanding Opportunity by Expanding Apprenticeships

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Join us for a webinar featuring 2024 McGraw Prize winner Dr. Robert Lerman, Emeritus Professor of Economics at American University; Fellow at The Urban Institute; and Co-Founder of Apprenticeships for America.

Lerman has dedicated his career to helping policymakers understand the immense potential for apprenticeship systems to improve lives and the American workforce. His work has led to policy changes from California to Maryland, and government, corporate, and nonprofit leaders regularly seek his counsel. 

For more than three decades, the McGraw Prize in Education has recognized outstanding individuals deeply committed to harnessing innovation in education to improve the lives of learners worldwide. 

This webinar — moderated by Dr. Sade Bonilla, Penn GSE Assistant Professor — is one in a series presented by Catalyst @ Penn GSE featuring winners of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize for Education. Together, Catalyst and the McGraw Prize are advancing innovation in education through a growing array of programming. This live virtual event will be recorded. 

Lerman's innovative thinking is evident in his approach to apprenticeship, which focuses on building a national system with occupational standards, funding for selling and organizing employers to offer apprenticeships, training for mentors, and support for the off-the-job instruction. His vision for a system that aligns worker and employer interests with in-demand careers has been a guiding principle in his work, making apprenticeship a cost-effective and equitable approach to preparing for careers. 

In accepting his McGraw Prize, Lerman laid out a pathway for developing a robust apprenticeship pipeline. 

“I’ve proposed three key steps to scaling up apprenticeships: One, tackle the toughest part — convincing employers to dive in. Let’s provide financial incentives to organizations that sell employers on apprenticeship and implement programs but pay only for new apprenticeships,” Lerman said. “Two, establish credible occupational standards to ensure apprentices reach high levels of competency in their fields. And three, fund quality instruction for the classroom portion of apprenticeships.”