Youth Apprenticeship History
How was the YA program developed?
1991
- Wisconsin Act 39 create new school-to-work initiative to:
- Prepare students for workforce requirements
- Create options for students not going to college
- Includes federal “Tech Prep,” youth apprenticeship, student assessment, and post-secondary enrollment options
- Assigned to the Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor, and Human Relations, now the Department of Workforce Development (DWD)
- Created 12 member Youth Apprenticeship Advisory Council for program oversight
- Gov. Thompson establishes Executive Cabinet for Quality Workforce to oversee program implementation
- Gov. Thompson creates Office of Workforce Excellence to facilitate YA development and implementation
- Sub-committee creates Printing YA program
1991 - 1992
State agency staff, local educators, and business representatives travel to Germany to model YA after the German system of apprenticeship
1992
First YA students enrolled in new Printing YA Program
1994
- First YA students graduate from YA Program
- 8 more YA programs introduced in Auto Technician, Biotechnology, Drafting and Design, Finance, Health, Lodging, Insurance, and Machining
- Enrollment at 348 YA students involving 200 employers
- Wisconsin receives new federal School-to-Work funding some of which is used to support YA programs
1995
Office of Workforce Excellence becomes division of Connecting Education and Work within DWD to oversee YA
1999
- 1999-2001 Wisconsin Act 9 authorizes $3,150,000 for local YA grants (1st state funding for local programs) and creates the Governor’s Work-Based Learning Board to oversee YA
- 12 more programs developed by 1999 in Auto Collision, Drafting and Design (2), Information Technology (2), Logistics, Manufacturing (2), Agriculture Production (2), Tourism, and Welding
- Enrollment at 1522 YA students involving 750 employers
2000
Federal School-to-Work funding ends
2001
State legislature reduced funding by 27%, 4% in 2002; and 50% in 2003 to a total of $1.1 million per year
2002
- One more program introduced in Industrial Equipment
- Enrollment at 3393 YA students involving 2336 employers
2004
Enrollment drops to 2230 YA students involving 1581 employers related to drops in funding
2005
- State legislature eliminates Governor’s Work-Based Learning Board
- YA oversight moved to DWD- Office of Economic Initiatives with 2 staff
- Local funding remains at $1.1 million
- Enrollment at 1944 YA students
2007
- Gov. Doyle increases local funding amounts to $1,425,000 in 2007 and $2,200,000 in 2008.
- DWD re-organizes and YA becomes part of the Bureau of Workforce Training – Youth Programs
2008
- 35 consortiums receive funding grants
- Enrollment at 1791 students involving 1307 employers and 247 schools