State Rep. Warren Petryk

The first National Youth Apprenticeship Week will be celebrated shortly. As Chairman of the Assembly Workforce Development and Economic Opportunities Committee, one of my responsibilities has been to develop and strengthen our K-12 talent pipeline so that when children graduate, they have the fundamental skills they need to thrive in our state. One way to do this includes supporting our state's youth apprenticeship program. This program has thrived in our state thanks to the support of Legislative Republicans, with over 1,200 students and 700 employers participating in areas throughout the 93rd Assembly District.

The Youth Apprenticeship program works by connecting high school juniors and seniors with a career counselor in their school district. The counselor will help them prepare for an interview with a number of employers. After students are hired, they are paired with a mentor at the work site, allowing them to earn money while gaining experience in their chosen field. While in school they receive individualized related classroom instruction.  Students who complete the program are awarded a "workplace credential" in addition to their high school diploma.

These students are studying architecture, food and natural resources, health sciences, information technology, manufacturing, and transportation, among other subjects. These students are frequently offered jobs after school, over the summer, and after graduation. This ideal "win-win" situation allows businesses to tap into a talent pipeline, and many students choose to stay in Wisconsin to launch their careers while gaining valuable job experience.

Because of the program's success, I authored several pieces of legislation and worked to expand youth apprenticeship in recent sessions.  The first step was to increase funding for this incredible program in the last few state budgets. In addition, this year, I authored a bill that would have provided youth apprenticeship students with a tax break to help cover any work-related expenses they may have, while increasing grants to schools for technical education equipment. And I also supported spending $20 million to fund both our regular and youth apprenticeship programs, only to see it opposed by our local democratic legislators and the governor.

These workforce investments are critical if we want to keep our talented employees working here in our wonderful state.  To learn more about our state's youth apprenticeship programs, visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/apprenticeship/ya/ or contact your local school district or job center.