Connected Capacity: Laying the Foundation for California’s Youth Apprenticeship Ecosystem Report
Scaling meaningful youth apprenticeship requires more than strong individual programs—it demands a connected ecosystem of educators, employers, and workforce leaders working together. The Connected Capacity: Laying the Foundation for California’s Youth Apprenticeship Ecosystem report shares insights from the California Workforce Association Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator Initiative, facilitated by CareerWise from May 2024 to May 2025.
Over the course of a year, four organizations—LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, Pleasanton Unified School District, San Joaquin County Office of Education, and the South Bay Workforce Investment Board—tested national program frameworks, received coaching, and collaborated to strengthen youth apprenticeship pathways tailored to local needs. Participants gained technical expertise, expanded networks, and piloted new pathways, while collectively surfacing systemic barriers like slow standards approval and fragmented employer engagement.
The report highlights key recommendations for the field: integrate systems-level thinking into program design, provide differentiated coaching, align technical assistance with participants’ bandwidth, and invest in cross-sector learning networks. These lessons emphasize that youth apprenticeship can thrive only when strong programs are paired with empowered, connected leadership driving shared, system-wide change.