Youth Apprenticeships in Maryland Pursuant to Chapter 646 of the Acts of 2014
December 1, 2015 The Honorable Larry Hogan, Governor The Honorable Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., President of the Senate The Honorable Michael E. Busch, Speaker of the House of Delegates Gentlemen: The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation recently convened the Youth Apprenticeship Advisory Committee, a group of business, labor, and other stakeholders, to explore the expansion of youth apprenticeships in Maryland pursuant to Chapter 646 of the Acts of 2014. The enclosed report will serve as a blueprint for the Maryland’s youth apprenticeship system, in an effort to engage a new generation of workers and employers in Maryland. The Committee’s charge is to evaluate the effectiveness of existing high school youth apprenticeship programs in the state, other states, and other countries. The Committee is further tasked with reviewing and identifying ways to implement high school youth apprenticeship programs in the State, reviewing and identifying means through which employers and organizations can obtain tax credits, grants, and other subsidies to support establishment and operation of high school youth apprenticeship programs, and setting targets for the number of apprenticeship opportunities for youth that the state should reach over the next three years. The Committee’s work was directed under the leadership of Dr. Arnold Packer, a specialist in labor economics with expertise in national and international apprenticeship systems. The Committee surveyed youth apprenticeship models in other states and countries as presented by Dr. Robert Lerman, founder of the American Institute of Innovative Apprenticeship. The Committee also heard from the Maryland State Department of Education and other State agencies regarding existing state resources and programs that could be leveraged in support a youth apprenticeship program.
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