Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

The new buzzword in the conversation around workforce development is “apprenticeships.” The problem is, while a bipartisan topic for policymakers from Washington, D.C., to state houses across the country, their focus is on expanding beyond traditional construction trades into industries like education, technology and healthcare.

While it’s important to think creatively about how to train workers in a variety of industries, too many workers are being locked out of traditional apprenticeships — ones that promise to open doors for anyone hoping to enter a career in construction. Until we fix this, we’re leaving talent on the table in an industry in dire need of talent.

Currently, the discourse around traditional apprenticeships focuses on the limited number of slotswhich is certainly a challenge; but it obfuscates a more troubling issue: the composition of these slots. Apprenticeships in the construction industry are highly selective and essentially designed for the student who is already passing the class. It favors those with pre-existing knowledge or skills, requires advanced coursework with technical content and has cumbersome application processes. If you’re a student who’s motivated but needs a little bit of extra help, you’re being left behind.

So, how do we change this?

Pre-apprenticeships are one answer. These short-term programs provide exposure to multiple careers and employers, build professional and technical skills, connect participants with a mentor and prepare them for entry assessments. Often, participants can leave with industry recognized credentials.

During a six- to eight-week building trades pre-apprenticeshipfor example, students might visit union job sites, earn an OSHA certification and come away with both a clearer understanding of what career path fits them best and the confidence that they know what it takes to enter the workforce. They’re like internships but better.

High quality pre-apprenticeship programs — ones that are well-designed and connected to real opportunities like union programs, employers and registered apprenticeships—are effective in helping people make that leap to the next step in their career journey.

Why then are pre-apprenticeships not more popular? The answer is simple: Programs lack funding. While there are many reasons for this, the result is the same: Programs are limited in how many people they can serve and the support they can provide. They also lack capacity to track and collect outcomes data — and unlike their registered apprenticeship counterparts, aren’t federally required to do so. That limits a program’s ability to attract funding, perpetuating the cycle of underinvestment.

But breaking this cycle is possible, if we get creative:

First, let’s rethink how to finance wraparound support. Transportation, childcare or lost wages — real barriers that lock many people out — represent the most expensive but most critical element for learner success. Providing student-friendly financing — like zero-percent loans or emergency lines of credit, designed so that participants only repay if their earnings increase — would help minimize the financial burden and risk for workers. Unions, trade associations or employers could also partner to repay these loans for participants who join them, creating a mutually beneficial situation: a pipeline of diverse, skilled talent for employers and life-changing access for learners.

Collecting better data is another key step.Until programs can demonstrate a track record of achieving outcomes, they will struggle to grow and scale. In particular, programs must show that they can graduate students and place them into apprenticeships that lead to longer-term employment.

Those steps will help unlock new funding sources. There are plenty of stakeholders who care about economic mobility and want to think creatively about improving our current workforce training system. With evidence showing tangible, improved results from pre-apprenticeship programs, there’s no reason why these programs can’t attract additional grants or philanthropic investment.

Making these changes will take partnership and intentional, strategic investment across a wide range of stakeholders — from employers and unions to government agencies and philanthropy. So, while we expand apprenticeships in other industries, let’s not lose sight of ensuring the current system reaches its full potential by investing in construction pathways that allow all people to access these opportunities. This will create a ripple effect: helping to bolster the talent pipeline needed to fill in-demand jobs, putting people on the path to economic mobility, and creating best practices other industries can learn from. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter