Developing Your Talent Pipeline Through Youth Apprenticeship

There are 11 approved YA occupational areas available to employers for hiring youth apprentices. Each occupational area typically contains several specific career pathways. For example, within the Architecture and Construction occupational area, youth apprentices may be focused on any of the following career pathways: carpentry; electrical; masonry/concrete; mechanical/HVAC; plumbing/sprinkler fitting; architectural drafting; or architectural planning.

During the youth apprenticeship, students continue their studies toward graduation. This includes taking courses related to their employment as a way of enhancing what is being learned on the job site. Related instruction may be taken at high school, a local technical college or even online, depending on the availability of appropriate courses. Each youth apprentice works with the YA Coordinator at their school to meet program requirements, including related classroom instruction which is not the responsibility of participating employers.

Another important element of the YA program is the identification of a worksite mentor, which is the responsibility of participating employers. This may be the person responsible for training the apprentice or someone else within the company. The mentor helps acclimate the youth apprentice to the workplace, ensuring that students understand company culture and expectations. Mentors also prove to be invaluable at helping youth make a smooth transition into the world of work.

Straka uses the metaphor of a “scaffold of learning” when talking about mentorship.

“Contractors need to approach training from the student perspective whose only exposure may have been during woodworking or construction classes at school. Since a construction jobsite is very different than a high school’s wood shop, it is important to select a mentor who is willing to nurture, guide and teach youth apprentices,” Straka said.

Straka adds, “Make sure the mentor is there for them, explaining jobsite conduct and why it is important that they know exactly what to do on the jobsite”.

“Good mentors are critical to the success of youth apprentices as is effective communication between the student, parents, the employer and school,” Meyers said.

Hiring Youth Apprentices

Youth apprentices become employees of the participating business. This is an important distinction between YA and other school-to-work efforts, such as job shadowing and most internships. The connection to real, paid work and its corresponding responsibilities and benefits is a fundamental element of YA and is the primary reason why it is so valuable to the youth apprentice and their employer.
“The student is an employee. The student has to go through the interview process, and it has to be the right fit for the employer before an opportunity is offered,” Straka said.

Because youth apprentices are employees, employers must: 1) Pay youth apprentices at least minimum wage; and 2) provide worker’s compensation policy coverage. Typically aged 16-18, youth apprentices are not required to obtain work permits for their apprenticeship employment. Unlike other youth their ages, youth apprentices also may work during school hours.

There are types of work that youth apprentices and youth, in general, are not allowed to engage in because they have been deemed hazardous, including within the construction industry. However, there is not a blanket prohibition on youth working at construction sites, as some contractors have mistakenly believed. Youth apprentices are considered student learners, which is a legal classification that allows them to engage in some work that otherwise would be disallowed, as long as certain conditions are met.

Brent Yauchler of The Electrician, Inc., in Mount Horeb, has youth apprentices as part of his team. “It’s amazing how you can create opportunities both for yourself and for these young people,” he said.

He encourages other ABC members to carve-out room within their operations to allow a younger person to come in and experience construction; someone who may have some interest in the trades as a career.

The fact that over 300 youth apprentices worked in construction positions in 2017/18 is a testament to the opportunities that await potential YA employers and students in this growing occupational area.

“They may start out in the electrical, HVAC or carpentry in general construction. Then they get to the senior year, and they start to develop confidence,” Yauchler said. “They start to get their legs underneath them. They glean a roadmap from the company and other employees and are able to make good decisions.”

“They realize the opportunities ahead, and understand that there are good companies that support RA as a viable career path. Some youth apprentices are insistent about becoming journey level workers, and that’s fantastic!”

For additional information on specific types of work that may be in question, please review the following resource from DWD’s Equal Rights Division (ERD): Manufacturing & Construction Equipment & Wisconsin’s Employment of Minor Law factsheet.

Contact Information

Employers may contact ERD’s Labor Standards Bureau with specific questions:

• Madison Office phone: (608) 266-6860
• Milwaukee Office phone: (414) 227-4384
• Online staff contacts: https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/er/contacts.htm

For more information on the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program, including contact information for regional YA coordinators, visit ya.wi.gov or send email to ya@dwd.wisconsin.gov.

By ABC of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Staff