From the Publisher
“Apprentice Nation sees Ryan Craig tackle a crucial—but too often overlooked—model of education and training with his signature wit and incisiveness. It should be required reading for policymakers on both sides of the aisle looking to build new paths to economic prosperity.”
—Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida
“For a country drowning in student debt and increasingly waking up to the reality that college is not a good deal for everyone, apprenticeships are a promising path forward. In this desperately needed book, Ryan Craig makes a compelling case for investing in apprenticeships and the intermediary organizations that make them possible and shows how they can set the stage for a stronger and more resilient future of work.”
—Larry Hogan, former governor of Maryland
“Rather than saddling America’s youth with tens of thousands of dollars in debt with no guarantee that it will pay dividends for future wage earning, apprenticeships provide a living wage with a direct path to future earnings potential. This book should be required reading for policy makers and anyone else interested in promoting socioeconomic equality and mobility.”
—Jack Markell, former governor of Delaware
“Ryan Craig makes a compelling case that apprenticeships are not just the workforce solution that American businesses need—but also an options multiplier for students and workers seeking a more reliable and affordable pathway to good jobs and credentials of value. Importantly, he also lays out actionable solutions.”
—Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of Education
“Well-structured apprenticeships stand out for their career-path clarity, alignment to employer demand, and earning while learning. By any measure, the US should have at least ten times the number of high-quality apprenticeships . . . Ryan Craig’s Apprentice Nation offers a bold perspective, data-informed insights, and practical guidance to help them realize that vision.”
—Byron Auguste, CEO and cofounder of Opportunity@Work
“As global economic volatility and digital transformation reshape the US labor market, our country’s system of postsecondary learning needs all the fresh thinking it can get. Ryan’s fast-paced, insightful book takes aim at the ways that higher education continues to fall short—and articulates how apprenticeship can supplement our existing system and build a world of work that works for everyone.”
—Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University
“Apprentice Nation provides a roadmap for rethinking the postsecondary landscape in ways that are more equitable, provide learners more meaningful options for work and career, and better serve our evolving workforce needs. As always with Ryan Craig, the writing is superb, the thinking tough-minded, and the arguments powerful.”
—Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University
“To make opportunity work for everyone, we must break away from traditional mindsets and one-size-fits-all educational models. The bachelor’s degree will continue to carry value, but we must also embrace a new generation of pathways that meet individuals where they are. Offering the thoughtful analysis for which he is known, Ryan Craig makes a powerful case for a modern apprenticeship system.”
—Scott Pulisipher, president of Western Governors University
“Apprenticeships are a critical pillar of a robust workforce ecosystem. Yet, as Ryan Craig skillfully argues, we have much more work to do to make apprenticeship an accessible pathway to advancement for all Americans. Apprentice Nation presents a bold vision for a future of learning and work transformed by apprenticeship, and actionable, research-rich insights for how to get us there.”
—Maria Flynn, CEO of Jobs for the Future
“Though overused, the term ‘thought leader’ clearly applies to Ryan Craig. After demonstrating the folly of the college-for-all approach to career development, Ryan explains the potential benefits of scaling US apprenticeship and points out how the US can match other countries in making apprenticeship’s ‘earn, produce, and learn’ model widely accessible to American workers.”
—Robert Lerman, Institute fellow at the Urban Institute and professor emeritus of economics at American University
“Ryan Craig has been consistently ahead of the market in calling for alternative routes to work-life mobility for people who don’t have the luxury or desire to access a traditional four-year degree . . . In his new book he lays out the compelling case for apprenticeship models of learning and earning. It’s a centuries old idea that is ‘new’ again as companies and employees see the power of apprenticeships.”
—Deborah Quazzo, cofounder of ASU+GSV
“Apprentice Nation breaks the stereotypes of ossified thinking that a college degree is the only path to success in America. From his own experience breaking new ground in using apprenticeships to create better outcomes for individuals and companies, Ryan Craig has a powerful message to share with businesses, employees, and policymakers alike. This is a book well worth reading.”
—Bill Browder, author of Red Notice and Freezing Order
“With the yawning gap that continues to exist between our nation’s workforce and the hiring needs of employers, it’s critical that we look for immediate solutions that can scale. Apprenticeships can be that solution, and Ryan Craig provides a road map for how this can be accomplished in Apprentice Nation—pushing institutions to keep up or be left behind.”
—Michelle Rhee, cofounder of BuildWithin and former chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools
“A provocative, important, timely, and compelling case for apprenticeships as a proven yet massively underutilized mechanism for strengthening workforce competitiveness and building equitable pathways to opportunity in America. In Apprentice Nation, Ryan Craig gives special attention to the unique US context for apprenticeships, drawing from international apprenticeship models to offer a credible program design that would enable apprenticeships to increase here by ten times or more.”
—Stephen Moret, president and CEO of Strada Education Foundation
“If America’s workforce is to remain economically competitive in a fast-changing digital world, we need to think beyond the college degree. Apprentice Nation provides a blueprint for how to make that happen in a way that’s not only accessible and engaging, but also designed to help businesses and policymakers translate big ideas into concrete action.”
—Joseph Fuller, coleader of Harvard Business School’s Managing the Future of Work Initiative
“Career opportunity is essential for a healthy democracy, and Ryan Craig argues convincingly why apprenticeships are a critical part of the formula. Apprenticeship Nation is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the future of career pathways and economic mobility in today’s economy.”
—Rachel Romer, CEO of Guild
“Ryan Craig’s Apprentice Nation presents a compelling case for the critical role apprenticeships must play in America’s evolving economy. As the job landscape rapidly shifts and new technologies like ChatGPT automate entry-level positions, finding ways to gain work experience in digital jobs has never been more challenging. This timely and thought-provoking book is worth reading for anyone looking to understand the future of work and education in the United States.”
—Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera
“Grounded in a deep understanding of the historical and current debates surrounding hands-on, experiential learning, Craig both challenges us to think differently and outlines the playbook we need to follow toward an Apprentice Nation.”
—Jeffrey Selingo, New York Times bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why and There Is Life After College
“In Apprentice Nation, Ryan Craig makes clear that a fully-developed ‘learning and earning’ model isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential for workers, for employers, and for the very future well-being of a nation in desperate need for talent.”
—Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation
“The book for which America’s been clamoring! Ryan Craig offers a masterful 101 on the apprenticeship programs America needs—and pulls no punches in describing what will and won’t work in helping America get the job done right.”
—Michael Horn, author of From Reopen to Reinvent
“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned after spending my career with young people is that there are no silver bullets—particularly when it comes to creating effective, affordable pathways to strong first jobs and rewarding careers . . . This book is a powerful reintroduction to new approaches that can have a transformative impact for young people and our country as a whole.”
—Richard Barth, CEO of the Robertson Foundation
“Apprenticeship Nation is a fascinating book. Its goal is ambitious, nothing short of reinventing higher forms of education to meet head on the unique challenges today’s students, our schools/colleges/universities, and our companies face in this digital and platform age driven by constant exponential advances in new technologies.”
—John Seely Brown, former chief scientist of Xerox Corporation, director of Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and past advisor to the provost of USC
