Participation in Wisconsin’s registered and youth apprenticeship programs soared to record high levels in 2024, and our per capita concentration of registered apprentices compares favorably to most other states, a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report finds. These are welcome developments at a time when many industries report a shortage 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. At the same time, our report finds the potential to expand apprenticeship programs in fast-growing occupations. Other opportunities include expanding pre-apprenticeship programs that offer a first training step and connections to employers for adults interested in careers in the skilled trades, and strengthening links between youth and registered apprenticeship pathways.
The report examines the landscape around three programs in Wisconsin: registered apprenticeships, certified pre-apprenticeships, and youth apprenticeships. Using state and federal data, as well as interviews with workforce development leaders from across the state, it explains how these programs function and work together. It also analyzes participation and completion data and identifies opportunities to strengthen these programs to benefit workers and the state’s economy.
Pioneering apprenticeships
Wisconsin was a pioneer in apprenticeships, enacting the first state apprenticeship law in 1911 and serving as a model for other states and the federal government. To some extent, Wisconsin remains a national leader in this area. As of January 2025, Wisconsin ranked 11th nationally in the number of active apprentices per 1,000 residents, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. At 2.4 apprentices per 1,000 residents, Wisconsin outpaced both the 50-state median of 1.7 and the neighboring states of Illinois (1.7), Minnesota (2.0), and Michigan (2.1), but lagged Iowa (3.0).
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. Dane, Outagamie, and Waukesha counties were among those with both the largest numbers and concentrations of apprentices. 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 too have its apprentices. The share of apprentices who are Hispanic doubled in the last decade, to 8.1% in 2024. Still, this remains less than the approximately 10.2% of the state’s population between the ages of 20 and 34 who were Hispanic as of 2023 Less progress has been made to broaden apprenticeship program representation of other traditionally underrepresented groups, such as Black or female workers.
Pre-apprenticeship demand
Before someone pursues a registered apprenticeship, he or she must choose a trade, meet any qualifications, and identify potential employers or union sponsors. Some organizations have developed “pre-apprenticeship” training programs to assist with this. Although they are not directly tied to registered apprenticeships and do not involve paid work, pre-apprenticeship program providers must have an established connection and support from at least one employer that offers registered apprenticeship positions to become state certified.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development introduced its Certified Pre-Apprenticeship Program in 2017. Having this structure to certify qualifying pre-apprenticeship training makes Wisconsin stand out compared to most states. In 2023 and 2024, a total of 2,029 individuals participated in state-certified pre-apprenticeship programs, most in Milwaukee or Dane counties.
The Milwaukee nonprofit WRTP|BIG STEP trained approximately two-thirds of those who completed pre-apprenticeship training programs in Wisconsin in 2023 and 2024. Data that it provided to the Forum suggest 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 in 2023 and 2024, its participants commuted from 32 counties, primarily in southern Wisconsin, as well as from northern Illinois.
Among the 995 individuals who completed a pre-apprenticeship program in Wisconsin in 2023, our analysis found that 255 entered a registered apprenticeship by 2024, for an overall conversion rate of 25.6%. According to workforce development leaders we interviewed, many who complete these programs are hired directly by employers, though not as registered apprentices, and others may enter registered apprenticeships in 2025.
Areas to improve
The Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program, created in 1991 and overseen by the state’s Department of Workforce Development, 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 grown even faster than in the state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, more than doubling since 2019 to 11,357 in 2025. That growth has been relatively consistent across multiple industries, though in 2025, more youth apprentices were working in health care occupations than any other industry.
At a time of surging retirement among skilled workers, and strong demand for labor across many industries, it’s encouraging that apprenticeship program participation is at record levels. At the same time, our analysis highlights challenges and potential opportunities to strengthen apprenticeships in Wisconsin. These include limited connections between the state’s youth and registered apprenticeship opportunities, continued underrepresentation of female and Black workers, and a lack of pre-apprenticeship training opportunities outside a few urban counties.
Click here to read the report, which was commissioned and supported by WRTP|BIG STEP using a grant from Ascendium Education Solutions. Gilbane also contributed financial support to this research project.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum is the state’s leading source of nonpartisan, independent research on state and local public policy. As a nonprofit, our research is supported by members including hundreds of corporations, nonprofits, local governments, school districts, and individuals. Visit wispolicyforum.org to learn more.
