California Schools to Inform Parents About Apprenticeship Programs for High School Students

Students watch as a Pacific Gas and Electric instructor shows how to navigate a utility pole during a course at the PG&E training facility in Oakland, California, on June 8, 2012. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

New legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 2 will require California school districts to provide parents and guardians with information about local apprenticeship programs at the beginning of each school year.

AB 2179, authored by Republican Assemblywoman Laurie Davies of Oceanside, will affect students in grades 11 and 12, starting January 2025.

Existing law requires schools to share with parents of students grades 9–12 information about college admission requirements and career technical education. The new law will mandate the inclusion of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs for juniors and seniors in high school.

The bill passed unanimously in both the Senate and Assembly.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction to prepare students for careers. Pre-apprenticeship educates students before entering official apprenticeship programs.

According to Senate data, there are over 90,000 registered apprentices in California and more than 1,700 pre-apprentices.

The length of apprenticeships can vary and depends “on the employer, complexity of the occupation, industry, and the type of program,” according to Apprenticeship USA, an office of the U.S. government.

Apprenticeships can be in a wide range of industries, everything from construction, energy, and health care, to cybersecurity and information technology.

“California should be at the forefront when it comes to recruiting and teaching students about local opportunities located near them,” said Ms. Davies in a statement in a Senate analysis of the bill.