Apprenticeship programs are paying off for graduates. In some cases, better than a college degree.
It’s more proof not everyone needs a four-year bachelor's degree. Interest in apprenticeships is growing. One of the most well-known is FAME, also known as the Federation for Manufacturing Education. Those style programs put high school grads with older factory workers in the classroom and at work for hands-on experience, often in machinery. In some cases, the jobs are in high demand and pay well.
“These are not jobs that you’re going to be sorry you took them. Many of these jobs that we’re talking about that you train for, that require technical skills, are very promising middle class jobs,” Tamar Jacoby, the president of the Washington based non-profit Opportunity America, said.
Jacoby notes that while the university costs skyrocket, most apprenticeships don't leave students learning a trade in debt for decades.