Capitalizing on Student Apprenticeships in Manufacturing

March 18, 2026

One thing President Trump and former President Biden could agree on: Apprenticeships for students in US manufacturing offer “big economic wins” for companies and workers alike, NPR reports. Diane Auer Jones also agrees, writing in Issues that apprenticeships can prepare large numbers of students for skilled jobs in a variety of fields. In an apprenticeship, she writes, “each student can find the right path to success based on his or her personal and professional goals, life circumstances, learning style, and academic preparedness.” To capitalize on the potential, she offers a blueprint for building a “well-organized, well-publicized, and well-supported” national system of apprenticeships.