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Apprenticeships Bridge the Workforce Development Gap
Earn-as-you-learn program is a proven path to technical careers.
Written by Karen Ohland
Karen Ohland
LATE APRIL MARKED National Apprenticeship Week, with a proclamation affirming our commitment to growing the technical workforce by investing in this proven pathway to early-career professional development.
As the 141st president of ASME and a proud member of the ASME Foundation Board of Directors, I was honored to open a signing ceremony attended by a distinguished group of ASME colleagues, partners, and champions of building the engineering workforce.
This event was much more than the execution of a document, and its meaning went beyond the purely symbolic. For nearly 150 years, ASME has been committed to advancing engineering for the benefit of humanity. Today, that mission calls us to focus not only on innovation, but on who gets to participate in it—and how we open doors to the next generation of talent.
Apprenticeships are one of the most effective ways to do exactly that.
Across the United States, apprenticeships combine paid, on-the-job training with classroom instruction, enabling students and aspiring technical professionals to earn while they learn. According to the U.S. Department of Labor—which recently awarded the ASME Foundation a sizeable, multi-year grant to expand its apprenticeship network—more than 90 percent of apprentices retain employment after completing their programs, with an average starting wage of over $80,000 annually. These are not just jobs—they are careers with upward mobility, stability, and purpose.
And yet, at a time when demand for skilled technical talent continues to grow, many employers struggle to find workers with the right combination of hands-on experience and foundational knowledge. Apprenticeships bridge that gap—aligning education with real-world needs and creating a pipeline of capable, confident professionals ready to contribute on day one.
Photo: Getty Images
ASME and the ASME Foundation are proud to be part of this solution.
Our Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Apprenticeship Program is specifically designed to bridge the school-to-work gap for students with two-year technical degrees, and those in MET and certificate programs. These bright, promising young people are the backbone of our workforce, yet many lack the professional networks, personal connections, and specific “on-the-job” experience to land their first professional role. Our program places them directly into engineering, manufacturing, and utility companies, among others, where they receive 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and classroom instruction.
Through our Community College Engineering Pathways (CCEP) program, we partner with community colleges all across the country to align curriculum with industry needs. Community colleges are among the most diverse and accessible entry points into engineering education. By strengthening these partnerships, we are not only creating opportunities—we are broadening participation in engineering and ensuring that talent from all backgrounds has a chance to thrive.
This work is essential. By 2030, industry forecasts warn of a shortfall of engineers and engineering technicians of as many as 2.1 million individuals. Growth in the technology and manufacturing sectors, combined with the accelerating pace of retirements among older workers, will result in an estimated 3.5 million unfilled skilled technical positions in the coming years, many of which do not require a traditional four-year degree but do require rigorous training, mentorship, and real-world experience.
Apprenticeships offer a scalable, inclusive, and highly effective way to meet that need, while providing the U.S. with a distinct advantage in an increasingly competitive global manufacturing marketplace.
The proclamation we signed during National Apprenticeship Week reflects ASME and our partners’ commitment to invest in people, to collaborate across sectors, and to elevate pathways that are too often overlooked, but absolutely vital to our shared future.
By joining with fellow stakeholders in government, industry, and education who share this vision, we are making a meaningful contribution to growing the next generation technical workforce.
Karen Ohland served as the 141st president of ASME and is currently a member of the ASME Foundation Board of Directors. For more information and to support the ASME Foundation’s workforce development and apprenticeship programs, visit asmefoundation.org.
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