Pre-apprenticeships introduce young people 16+ to career pathways and connect them to Registered Apprenticeship Programs. As part of the NIWL’s Apprenticeship Programs, we partnered with the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) to create pre-apprenticeship opportunities in youth services and mental health counseling fields.
Coming soon! NIWL’s pre-apprenticeships provide awareness of career paths, opportunities to build workplace skills, and access to the education and training needed to succeed. Through pre-apprenticeships, youth can explore career options while practicing essential skills in career and workplace readiness. Our curriculum offers participants the chance to explore the Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship as they prepare for their next steps in work and learning.
NIWL’s Registered Apprenticeships are supported by the Employment Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor as part of an ABA2 grant award totaling $8 million with 0% financed from non-governmental sources.
Pre-apprenticeship Curriculum (Launching Soon!)
NIWL will make available curriculums that organizations can use to establish or grow their own pre-apprenticeship programs. An example drawn from NIWL’s Work Readiness pre-apprenticeship curriculum is shown in the graphic to the right.
Learn more about our curriculums below and see what else you can do to make your program a quality experience for pre-apprentices.
Youth Development
Along with our partners, NIWL is developing a curriculum aligned to the Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship. Participants will develop essential workplace skills such as adaptability, collaboration, innovation, and problem solving. Pre-apprentices will also have the opportunity to explore careers in counseling or working with youth. This curriculum will soon be available to organizations to implement with groups of young people, including summer camps, schools and colleges, after school and outside of school programs, and more. Complete our interest form to learn more.
In addition to the curriculum, NIWL will provide onboarding sessions and technical assistance resources for facilitators, and a digital credential for students who complete the curriculum.
Mental Health Support
Our partner NYEC will soon launch a pre-apprenticeship curriculum introducing students mental health counseling and related career paths.
More curriculums are coming soon! Keep an eye out for new opportunities for young people interested in learning how they can apply their lived experiences to help others like them.
Why Pre-apprenticeship?
While apprenticeships create affordable pathways into high-quality careers, pre-apprenticeships provide young people ages 16 and up the opportunity to explore and learn about career options before committing to a particular apprenticeship. At 40 hours total, our curriculum gives students a sneak peek into a variety of counseling and youth-serving careers while building their resumes. Additionally, pre-apprenticeships connect students with Registered Apprenticeships so that they can continue the path toward their chosen career.
Interested in learning more about our pre-apprenticeship?
FHI 360’s NIWL is part of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative, which seeks to create a national network of employers, labor organizations, industry associations, program sponsors, educators, workforce intermediaries, minority serving organizations, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to serve as champions for expanding and diversifying Registered Apprenticeship.
