Apprenticeships in California are on the rise, but by how much?

As a 2018 gubernatorial candidate. Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to create 500,000 new internship positions in the decade after taking office, part of his broader strategy to boost job programs in the state.

It is well on its way to achieving that goal – with around 200,000 apprenticeships so far – according to press release last month from the governor’s office.

But a few weeks after, he quoted a new and much larger number. “On the trajectory we’re on right now — that’s an actual number — and if you want to take us back to that number, I’d be happy to provide that information later: 624,895 apprenticeships, 624,895 that we’re currently at on track to reach well over 500,000 by 2029,” he said.

What changed? Actually, nothing.

The figure of 200,000 represents the number of “registered apprenticeships” in the state. In order to register, the state has certain requirements: most importantly, employers must treat their apprentices as employees, provide them with training and pay them for all that training. Most registered apprenticeships are run by unions and require years of previous education or work experience. Firefighters, for example, represent largest apprenticeship program in the state, even though the program is hyper selective.

Tara Gallegos, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the 624,895 estimate includes many other job programs, none of which are actually apprenticeships, according to the state’s definition. Along with an estimated 200,000 “registered apprenticeships,” the governor’s office counted people who participated in various internships and training programs from state labor and health agencies, such as one grant that taught farm workers how to increase recycling and composting . These farm workers received little, if any, direct compensation as a result of their training.

Many adults don’t have the work experience or education to qualify for an apprenticeship, said Stuart Knox, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce and Development Agency. He defended the governor’s recent evaluations, saying these programs, while not “registered apprenticeships,” still offer similar benefits and have fewer barriers to entry. “For me, it’s less about the purpose and more about the people we serve.”

Knox said the state was still on track to meet the campaign’s target of 500,000 registered apprenticeships.

Billions of public money for vocational training

After Newsom’s election in 2018. Brent Parton was part of a team of researchers at New America, a left-leaning think tank, that developed a strategy for how to add 500,000 new apprentices by 2029. 2020 Report — and in state action planwhich he helped create soon after—the definition was clear: only state-sanctioned or “registered” apprenticeships counted.

“Are there unregistered apprenticeships? Of course. We don’t know how many are there because they are not registered,” he said. “This aim is to expand the registered apprenticeship system.”

In a state-registered apprenticeship, the apprentice is an employee both during and after the training. A formal apprenticeship program also agrees to provide participants with a standardized credential at the end of their training, similar to a college degree, that can be transferred to similar types of work. Yet many of the programs Newsom cites only provide parts of that model, such as an internship that doesn’t guarantee a job.

“The governor is doing the right thing by setting a vision for where he wants to go. I think the state is going to have to make a choice about what the universe of programs is to include in that,” Parton said.

However, he noted that California did unprecedented investment in job training over the past few years — a total of $5.7 billion, Newsom noted at a recent news conference. Parton said California is one of the few states that provides public funds to apprenticeship programs to offset tuition costs.

“Regardless of what the goal is or where the governor says it is, I think what California has done puts it on a really strong path to get there. Whether it’s 500,000 or 650,000 (apprenticeships), the conditions are really right.”

Trump and Newsom agree: more apprenticeships

Both Democrats and Republicans support expanding apprenticeships, but disagree on how apprenticeships should be defined. A year before Newsom announced his 2018 goal, President Donald Trump issued executive ordercalling for more apprenticeships across the country as a way to “foster affordable education and rewarding jobs”.

Trump’s order gave employers more discretion to create their own apprenticeships, effectively wresting control from certain unions and government agencies. Biden rescind Trump’s order in 2021, while releasing a statement saying it is also expanding apprenticeships.

Although some of the programs Newsom mentioned recently are not registered apprenticeships, Knox said they were included on the list because they offer a pathway to access those apprenticeships. He said the governor’s language did not reflect any change in policy.

One such program, run by the nonprofit Public Works Alliance, uses about $11 million in philanthropic and county funds to train approximately 600 youth to become emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The organization received an additional $21 million in the state’s 2022-23 budget to expand training across the state.

Unlike the apprenticeship program, students receive a stipend to attend class, and since they are not employees, graduates must find work on their own. Alex Briscoe, the organization’s director, said the employment rate for graduates is about 90 percent, but wages for emergency medical technicians are low, about $18 to $24 an hour.

One of the most lucrative opportunities for graduates is becoming an apprentice firefighter, where starting wages are often more than $40 an hour. Certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics receive priority admission, but this program is so competitive that even qualified applicants often wait years to secure a spot.

“Many of these young people face barriers to employment,” Briscoe said. Some are current or former foster youth, while others have been through the juvenile justice system. The long-term plan, he said, is to partner with the fire department and create new apprenticeships, giving more young people a path to better jobs.