Weekly Fiscal Facts are provided to Wisconsin Newspaper Association members by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education. The Wisconsin Policy Forum logo can be downloaded here.
Participation in Wisconsin’s registered and youth apprenticeship programs soared to record high levels in 2024 – a welcome development at a time when many industries report shortages of qualified workers.
Workforce development leaders credit a system-wide effort to increase participation and add new apprenticeship pathways, including in industries such as health care. Yet opportunities remain to expand apprenticeship programs in fast-growing occupations, expand pre-apprenticeship programs that offer a first training step for adults interested in careers in the skilled trades, and to strengthen links between youth and registered apprenticeship pathways.
A new Wisconsin Policy Forum report examined the landscape around three programs in Wisconsin: registered apprenticeships, certified pre-apprenticeships, and youth apprenticeships. The report was commissioned by the state’s largest pre-apprenticeship program provider, WRTP|BIG STEP.
Historically, Wisconsin was a pioneer in apprenticeships, enacting the first state apprenticeship law in 1911. To some extent, Wisconsin remains a national leader: as of January 2025, it ranked 11th nationally in the number of active apprentices per 1,000 residents.
In 2024, about two-thirds of Wisconsin’s 17,509 active apprentices were pursuing construction industry careers, with the top occupations being construction electricians, plumbers, and operating engineers. Registered apprenticeship programs also have been introduced for several health care occupations in recent years, such as for medical assistants and even registered nurses, which have been pioneered by UW Health in Dane County. These new pathways may hold promise for expansion elsewhere in the state.
As Wisconsin has become more racially diverse, so have its apprentices. The share of apprentices who are Hispanic doubled in the last decade, to 8.1% in 2024. Less progress has been made to broaden apprenticeship program representation of other traditionally underrepresented groups, such as Black or female workers.
Before someone pursues a registered apprenticeship, they must choose a trade, meet any qualifications, and identify potential employers or union sponsors. Pre-apprenticeship training programs are designed to assist with this. In 2023 and 2024, a total of 2,029 individuals participated in state-certified pre-apprenticeship programs, most in Milwaukee or Dane counties.
Data provided to the Forum by WRTP|BIG STEP suggests that demand for these programs exists in many counties where programming is not currently available. WRTP|BIG STEP offers its largest pre-apprenticeship program in Milwaukee, Madison, and Racine, but participants commute from 32 counties, primarily in southern Wisconsin, as well as from northern Illinois.
The Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program offers high school students one or two years of work-based learning in a wide range of occupations. Youth apprenticeships involve paid, on-the-job training, with complementary classroom instruction and mentorship. Participation in the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program has more than doubled since 2019, to 11,357 in 2025.
This information is provided to Wisconsin Newspaper Association members as a service of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education. Learn more at wispolicyforum.org.
