Y outh with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship

Preparing Youth and Young Adults for 

Apprenticeship Programs

2
An Overview: 

Far too many youth, particularly those with disabilities, leave secondary education without a 

clear plan for post-secondary studies and careers. Youth with disabilities are half as likely as 

their peers to participate in post-secondary education. Effective transition services are key for 

young people to make informed choices about their futures. Federal law requires that transition 

planning for youth with disabilities begin no later than age 16, and the plan must include 

measurable post-secondary goals. Although apprenticeship programs can create opportunities 

for both employment and post-secondary education, they are rarely considered as an option for 

youth with disabilities during transition planning.

What You Need to Know: 

Each year approximately 200,000 individuals enter 

apprenticeship programs. Although apprenticeship jobs cut 

across a wide-breadth of industries and occupations, there is 

a concentration within the building and construction trades, 

the traditional base for apprenticeship. The vast majority 

of apprentices are at least 18 years old, and apprenticeship 

programs generally require that individuals have at least a 

high school diploma or its equivalent to enter apprenticeship 

programs. Given that apprenticeship is largely an adult 

program, it should be considered as a post-secondary option. 

Certainly not all youth have the interest or aptitude for 

apprenticeship programs. Career assessment and planning 

is the key to determining whether a young person should 

consider apprenticeship as a post-secondary option. The 

assessment process may begin with less formal methods of 

assessment, such as discovery or a career interest inventory. 

Either of these methods can help an individual identify their 

occupational preferences based on a series of questions 

around their general interests and aptitudes.

There are many widely available resources that youth, 

parents, school administrators and service providers can use 

to facilitate the process. One example is Career Planning 

Begins with Assessment: A Guide for Professionals Serving 

Youth with Educational and Career Challenges. This guide, 

tailored to service providers working with youth and young 

adults with disabilities, contains a comprehensive inventory 

of various assessment instruments, and information on their 

purposes, how they are administered, and target groups and 

costs. Please see the Where to Go For More Information 

section to learn more about this resource.

For youth with 

disabilities, transition 

planning is a component 

of the youth’s Individual 

Education Program (IEP) 

that is required by federal

law. While transition 

planning is required to be 

included in the youth’s 

IEP beginning at age 16, 

many experts feel that 

the planning should begin 

earlier, at least by age 14. 

The first step is assessing 

a youth’s interests, 

aptitudes and abilities 

and then planning 

specific activities and a 

course of study that is 

appropriate for the youth.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - Preparing Youth and Young Adults for Apprenticeship Programs
Vocational programs focus on the 

skills, knowledge and abilities 

that prepare youth for the 

workplace. All youth, particularly 

those with disabilities, also 

benefit from including workbased learning opportunities 

in their career planning and 

preparation. Work-based learning 

provides youth with exposure to 

the workplace through a variety 

of options, including internships, 

job shadowing, and summer 

employment. Many vocational 

programs include work-based 

learning components.

In some communities, there are secondary 

programs that tie directly into apprenticeship. 

These programs are called pre-apprenticeship, 

school-to-apprenticeship, or youth 

apprenticeship programs. They are generally 

available only in certain states and school 

districts. Technical education officials in 

school districts have information about these 

programs. 

For young people who are out of school, there 

are a number of options available to prepare 

for apprenticeship programs. Many of these 

programs also offer high school diplomas 

or intensive preparation for the General 

Education Development Diploma (GED). These 

workforce development programs typically 

also provide youth with help finding a job 

and offer some post-placement support. 

Information on these programs is generally 

available at One-Stop Career Centers 

located in communities across the country 

and through program-sponsored Web site 

locations. 

Pre-apprenticeship programs are sponsored 

by a variety of organizations, often 

those that are directly connected to 

apprenticeship programs, such as the Home 

Builder’s Institute. These programs offer 

an individual the opportunity to acquire 

basic skills needed for the occupation. In 

some instances, individuals that go into 

registered apprenticeship programs can 

get credit towards their apprenticeship 

certification for skills that were acquired 

in the pre-apprenticeship program. While 

these programs have traditionally been in 

the building and construction trades, some 

communities may have programs for other 

apprenticeship occupations such as those in 

health care, culinary arts, and technology.

Two national programs provide 

opportunities in nearly every 

state for youth to prepare for 

apprenticeship. 

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - Preparing Youth and Young Adults for Apprenticeship Programs
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps 

program provides low-income youth, ages 

16 to 24, the opportunity to acquire a high 

school credential and job skills in a wide 

variety of occupational areas. The 122 Job 

Corps Centers located in 48 states, the 

District of Columbia and Puerto Rico provide 

training in all of the leading apprenticeship 

occupations, especially those in the building 

and construction trades. Most, but not all, 

Job Corps students reside at the Center 

while completing their programs of study. 

An important feature of the Job Corps is that 

during the first 60 days of the program, youth 

receive assistance in creating a Personnel 

Career Development Plan, which outlines the 

student’s goals for the program. Assessing 

students’ interests and aptitudes are a part of 

this career planning. 

The second national program is called 

YouthBuild, and it provides work readiness 

training, job training in building and 

construction-related trades, and community 

service to low-income youth between 16 

and 24 years of age. Youth may also work 

towards their GED or high school diploma. 

There are approximately 230 YouthBuild 

programs operating in 44 states, including 

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 

the Virgin Islands. The U.S. Department of 

Labor provides funding to many, but not all, 

YouthBuild sites. 

The availability of workforce development 

programs for out-of-school youth varies 

greatly from community to community. An 

employment counselor is the best person 

to help a young adult determine what 

programs are available and their entry 

requirements. Employment counselors 

can also help youth assess their interests, 

aptitudes and abilities. One-Stop Career 

Centers, Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, 

community rehabilitation providers, and 

community colleges are the most prominent 

organizations that have employment 

counselors available to assist individuals 

with disabilities.

Where to Go For More 

Information: 

For a directory of One-Stop Career 

Centers across the U.S., visit: http://www.

careeronestop.org/findos/default.aspx.

DOL sponsors a Web site called Career 

Voyages that discusses a young person’s 

post-secondary options, including 

apprenticeship: www.careervoyages.gov/

apprenticeship-main.cfm.

The National Collaborative on Workforce 

and Disability/Youth (NCWD/Y) produced a 

guide that provides guidance and counseling 

tools necessary to help youth with disabilities 

successfully transition into the adult world 

of work. Career Planning Begins With 

Assessment is available at: www.ncwdyouth.info/resources_&_Publications/

assessment.html. 

To learn about Job Corps visit: http://

jobcorps.dol.gov/pp. 

For more information on YouthBuild USA 

visit: www.youthbuild.org.

The Home Builders Institute develops training 

materials for the construction trades and 

sponsors programs for youth and adults in 

certain states. Learn more about Project 

CRAFT, an apprenticeship focused training 

program for youth, at: www.hbi.org/page.

cfm?pageID=129. Project HOPE is specifically 

for individuals with disabilities, but 

participants must be at least 18 years of age: 

www.hbi.org/page.cfm?pageID=132.

In many instances, the related training for 

apprenticeship programs is provided by 

community colleges. Some also provide 

pre-apprenticeship programs. Visit 

community colleges in your area to find more 

information. For a directory of community 

colleges and access to individual community 

college Web sites, visit the American 

Association of Community Colleges at: 

www.aacc.nche.edu.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - Preparing Youth and Young Adults for Apprenticeship Programs
Where to Go For More Information Continued: 

The National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) works directly 

with State Education Agencies to enhance transition services and improve post-school 

outcomes for youth with disabilities. This site, funded through the Department of Education’s 

Office of Special Education Programs, offers abundant resources pertaining to transition 

planning, and can be accessed at www.nsttac.org.

To locate Community Rehabilitation Providers within your community, contact your local 

Vocational Rehabilitation office. You can search for the office closest to you on America’s 

Service Locator: www.servicelocator.org.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - Preparing Youth and Young Adults for Apprenticeship Programs

1. Understanding Apprenticeship Basics

2. Preparing Youth and Young Adults for 

Apprenticeship Programs

3. Increasing Participation of Young Adults 

with Disabilities In Apprenticeship 

Programs

4. Establishing New Apprenticeship Programs

5. What Apprenticeship Employers Need to 

Know About Working with Young Adults 

with Disabilities

6. Looking to Future Opportunities in 

Apprenticeship

Office of Disability 

Employment Policy

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20210

Voice 

1-866-ODEP-DOL (633-7365) 

TTY 

1-877-889-5627

www.dol.gov/odep

Learn More