Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee released a new report that finds expanding registered apprenticeship programs will expand the pipeline of workers into higher-paying jobs while also meeting the needs of employers. The report also found that workers who completed a registered apprenticeship programs saw a 49% increase in their earnings. Additionally, the report found that diversifying and strengthening registered apprenticeships can help broaden the talent pipeline for industries that critically need more workers, noting that apprentices are overwhelmingly male (84%) and white (nearly 61%). The report explains that some barriers to participating in or completing registered apprenticeships for women include inadequate childcare, lacking pay during the classroom portions, missing full information about career paths, experiencing harassment and exclusion in male-dominated worksites, and unreliable transportation.
