Apprenticeships are increasingly seen as a vital complement to traditional higher education. They can be a powerful tool to strengthen local workforce pipelines and expand opportunity.
As higher education evolves, leaders are rethinking how best to prepare students for the workforce. A recent Baltimore Sun commentary highlighted the growing importance of apprenticeships as part of the future.
State Senator Cory McCray’s new memoir, The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life, illustrates the value of this approach. Senator McCray credits an electrician’s apprenticeship with providing the stability and opportunity that a traditional classroom track did not. His work in the Maryland General Assembly has since helped expand Maryland legislative scholarships to include apprenticeships, and the College Bound program now incorporates apprenticeship centers in its student tours.
Higher education and apprenticeships should not be viewed as competing paths, but as complementary tools to expand opportunity. From the commentary:
There are models worth considering in other parts of the country, like the ADVANCE program in Virginia, the Georgia State/Perimeter College consolidation in Atlanta, or the City University hub in Seattle. We might take the best of what those places have to offer and integrate the things that make Baltimore unique.
Expanding access to apprenticeships alongside traditional degrees supports workforce needs in the trades, healthcare, public safety, and beyond, which helps local economies thrive while offering residents multiple, accessible pathways to success.
