上周四，美國總統特朗普簽署了一項行政命令，計劃通過加倍政府對學徒項目的支出，將美國的學徒人數從目前的50萬人（只占國民經濟的九牛一毛）的基礎上大幅提高。

有了特朗普對這個計劃的大力支持，很多人都樂觀地覺得，特朗普一定會顯著提高國民經濟中學徒的人數和質量。

特朗普的計劃對企業來說是個利好消息。首先，學徒制可以在企業的勞動力構成中發揮堅實作用。成功的學徒計劃需要企業圍繞自己的需求去進行設計，而特朗普的這項行政命令則有助于減少對學徒項目管理的繁冗手續。它也有助于行業建立廣泛的學徒標準。雇主們無疑會對這些變化做出積極回應。同時，該行政令也有助于鼓勵企業采用學徒制。

這項新政還試圖大幅增加學徒在經濟中的數量。今年3月，Salesforce公司的CEO馬克·貝尼奧夫曾給特朗普打電話，呼吁“要實現在未來5年內，創造500萬個學徒崗位的‘登月目標’”。特朗普當即表示同意，并稱“讓我們開始干吧，為了這500萬個崗位。”此次特朗普的行政令中并未包含類似的具體目標。不過如果特朗普切實履行了他對貝尼奧夫的承諾，那么這個目標不僅雄心勃勃，也是可以實現的。

按人均水平計算，500萬個學徒的目標如果得以實現，就會使美國與德國和瑞士等低失業率國家和制造業強國保持一致了。這些國家盡管付給制造業工人的薪水很高，但他們通過課堂教學與在職培訓相結合的形式大力推動學徒制與其他教育模式，從而還是鑄造了自己強大的經濟實力。

在特朗普政府公布這一計劃之前，最新公布的數據顯示，美國有600萬個職位空缺，有690萬人處于失業狀態。據與我交流過的一些企業表示，職位空缺的主要原因是他們找不到具備相應工作技能的人才。而美國制造業的形勢尤其嚴峻。據美國制造業協會統計，未來十年，美國將開放340萬個制造業就業機會，但如果美國繼續保持當前的職業培訓水平，屆時美國將有200萬個制造業崗位找不到合適的人才填補。

制造業以及部分行業勞動力供需失衡的一個原因是，很多求職者包括大學生在離開學校后，身上并沒有能夠立即變現的技能或任何實際的工作經驗。傳統“知識工作”的自動化只會讓這一差距繼續加大。而在學徒制中，學徒可以在工作中邊賺錢邊學習，這與很多就業項目和純粹的課堂教育都不一樣。

在大多數情況下，這種供需失衡能在短期內獲得彌補的技能都是所謂的“中級”技能，也就是高中以上學歷就能掌握的技能，比如護士、醫務人員、焊工、電工、機械修理員、機器人程序員、水管工、電腦技術員等等。這些人的收入和工作保障都高于平均水平。很多人的收入甚至比上過四年大學的同齡人還高。

要獲取這些市場需求很高的中級技能，最具有成本效益的方法，就是通過由企業贊助的學徒項目。學徒通常需要歷練三四年的時間，在訓練有素的導師監督下，才能合格地學會這些新技能。學員每周有一兩天需要在社區大學或職業學校參加課堂學習，但完全不需要申請大學貸款。更理想的是，學徒在學習時的同時還能賺到工資，而且絕大多數人（90%）在學徒期結束后都得到了充分就業。相比之下，又有多少讀完四年本科的學生能找到心儀的工作呢？

學徒制也是一筆可靠的商業投資。加拿大最近的一項研究指出，有十幾個領域的1000多家企業發現，他們每投資1美元于學徒項目，就能收獲47美分的回報。政府對學徒制的支持也同樣能收獲回報。政府每向學徒項目投資1美元，就能產生27美元的經濟增量。

這個新項目來得正是時候，美國的現代學徒制正發展得如火如荼。然而特朗普的行政命令要想取得全方位的效果，特朗普政府就需要建立一個全國性的監管機構，以確保具有可操作性的學徒制標準能被建立起來，同時確保企業切實負起責任，充分發揮學徒制對經濟的積極影響。該項目有潛力滿足各行各業對人才不斷上升的需求，同時能使數以百萬計的家庭得到經濟保障。（財富中文網）

本文作者Nicholas Wyman《Job U: How to Find Wealth and Success By Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need》一書的作者，也是職場技能與創新研究會的CEO。

譯者：樸成奎

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to substantially increase the number of U.S. apprenticeships from the current 500,000 (minuscule for the size of the economy) by doubling the amount the government spends on apprenticeship programs.

Trump’s emphasis on this plan is cause for optimism that he will significantly improve the number and quality of apprenticeships in the economy.

Trump’s plan will be a boon to employers. First, they will have a strong role in its composition through a task force that Trump announced. Successful apprenticeship programs work best when designed by employers around their own needs. The plan intends to reduce red tape and overly rigid requirements for administering apprenticeship programs. It also encourages broad-based industry standards for apprenticeships. Employers will undoubtedly respond positively to these changes, and it will encourage them to embrace apprenticeships.

The new initiative also seeks to massively increase the number of apprenticeships in the economy. In March, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called on Trump to “take a moonshot goal at creating 5 million apprenticeships in the next five years.” Trump agreed, stating “Let’s do that, let’s go for that 5 million.” The plan that Trump announced sets no such targets. But if Trump follows the commitment he made to Benioff, the goal will be ambitious, yet achievable.

On a per capita basis, 5 million apprenticeships would bring the U.S. in line with the low unemployment levels and strong manufacturing sectors in countries like Germany and Switzerland. Despite paying their workers high wages, these countries achieve their economic strength by prioritizing apprenticeships and other education models that integrate classroom learning with on-the-job training.

The Trump administration’s plan comes on the heels of newly released data indicating 6 million U.S. job vacancies, at a time when 6.9 million are unemployed. According to companies I’ve spoken to, the principal cause of job vacancies is their inability to find people with job-ready skills. The situation in U.S. manufacturing is particularly troublesome. According to the Manufacturing Institute, 3.4 million manufacturing jobs are expected to become available over the next 10 years, yet 2 million of those jobs may be unfilled if America stays on its current course.

One reason for this supply and demand imbalance in manufacturing and elsewhere is that too many job seekers, including college graduates, are leaving school without marketable skills or any practical work experience. The automation of traditional “knowledge jobs” will only exaggerate this gap. In an apprenticeship, participants are earning and learning both on and off the job. This differs from many other employment-related programs and purely classroom-based education.

In most cases, skills that could bridge the gap are of the “middle” type. This means high-school plus: nurses, medical technicians, welders, electricians, machinists, robotics programmers, plumbers, computer technicians, and dozens more. These people enjoy above-average incomes and job security. Many out-earn their peers with four-year college degrees.

The most cost-effective way to obtain such highly sought after middle skills is through a company-sponsored apprenticeship. This typically three- or four-year endeavor allows the apprentice to acquire new skills under the watchful eyes of a trained mentor. One or two days each week are dedicated to classwork at a local community college or technical school, but no college debt is accrued. Better still, apprentices earn while they learn, and most (90%) are gainfully employed by the conclusion of their apprenticeship. How many four-year college students can say the same?

Apprenticeships are sound business investments. A recent Canadian study of over 1,000 employers across more than a dozen different fields found a net return of 47 cents for every dollar invested in apprenticeship training. Even government is a winner when it supports apprenticeships. Every $1 government invests in apprenticeships generates $27 in economic growth.

This new program comes at a perfect time; modern apprenticeships are gaining steam in the U.S. For Trump’s initiative to be consistently effective across the board, however, his administration will need to create a national custodian to ensure user-friendly norms are established and businesses are held accountable for high-impact apprenticeship outcomes. The program has the potential to meet the escalating demand for job-ready candidates in all kinds of industries and enable millions of families to achieve economic security.

Nicholas Wyman is author of Job U: How to Find Wealth and Success By Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need and CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation.