Youth Apprenticeship Program
The Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship program began with passage of 1993 Wisconsin Act 16 (the 1993-
1995 biennial budget) which appropriated funds to the Department of Workforce Development (then
known as the Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations) to support: an Office of Workforce
Excellence, Career Counseling and Information Centers for Youth, Youth Apprenticeship Training
Grants, Youth Apprenticeship Curriculum Grants and Youth Apprenticeship Administration and Program
Approval authority within the department. This legislation was developed in collaboration with the
Department of Public Instruction, the Department of Workforce Development and the Wisconsin
Technical College System. The program was loosely fashioned after the European apprenticeship
concept, particularly the German model, which required intensive and long-term employer-sponsored,
industry-focused training, the completion of competency-based technical courses plus the additional
coursework necessary for high school graduation.
The Youth Apprenticeship Program was a critical component of the state's school-to-work planning and
implementation initiatives in 1993 and 1994. In addition, the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act
of 1994 provided funds to the state to initiate the development of local school-to-work programs begun in
partnership with business, labor, secondary and postsecondary education agencies and local government
and community organizations. Wisconsin Act 9, the 1999-2001 Wisconsin state budget, created the
seventeen-member Governor's Work-Based Learning Board to administer and coordinate existing and
new work-based learning programs for youth including the Youth Apprenticeship Program. The Board is
an independent body, attached to the Department of Workforce Development for administrative purposes.
Some of the roles of the Board as they relate to the Youth Apprenticeship Program are:
· Establishing guidelines and standards for the program.
· Issuing requests for proposals to distribute funding.
· Working with trade and industry and labor leaders to develop new youth apprenticeship areas.
· Approving the statewide curricula for youth apprenticeship programs.
· Monitoring and providing technical assistance to local programs.
· Issuing certificates to youth apprentices who successfully complete the program.
The standard Youth Apprenticeship model is a two-year program for high school juniors and seniors
requiring a minimum of 900 hours of work experience and four semesters of related classroom instruction
based on statewide, industry-developed skill standards, using a state-developed curriculum
. The program
integrates school-based and work-based learning to provide the student with academic and technical skills
leading to a high school diploma and a Certificate of Occupational Proficiency issued by the Governor's
Work-Based Learning Board. The Youth Apprenticeship Program prepares students to enter the work
force directly after high school graduation, to begin a formal apprenticeship program or to begin a
postsecondary education in either a technical college or university in a technically oriented program.
Youth Apprenticeship programs are currently available in the following career interest areas:
· Agri Business
· Information Technology/Networking
· Auto Collision
Youth apprentices in a Level One program must complete a minimum of 450 hours of work-based learning while
they are enrolled in the program. At least 250 hours of the required minimum work-based learning time must take
place when related classes are being held, so that classroom instruction can be integrated with worksite training.
Students successfully completing a Level One program will receive a Certificate of Recognition