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Building Networks through Apprenticeships

Mentoring programs offer an important way to build cross-socioeconomic connections. Career-oriented learning programs set up students with mentors, apprenticeship advisors, and career coaches. They build the social networks needed for students to excel in college and in the labor market. 

EmployIndy, a nonprofit in Indianapolis, has been leading the charge in advancing career-connected learning for students in Marion County, Indiana. EmployIndy’s Modern Apprenticeship program gives high school students hands-on experience in fields like business, manufacturing and technology. Rather than rely on impersonal and brief interactions at formal networking events, EmployIndy has sought to embed networking into this apprenticeship program. Apprenticeship supervisors are trained to incorporate discussions about social capital into their mentoring relationship with students. They also have created a competition to encourage both supervisors and students to show how they have expanded their network of professional contacts while on the job. 

While many career-readiness programs have traditionally focused on skill development, more programs like EmployIndy’s are starting to recognize the equal importance of relationships and mentorship.  shows that students raised by parents with higher incomes inherit connections to the people who can provide them with career advice and access to job opportunities. Students from lower-income backgrounds are far less likely to have mentors or casual connections that can provide them with the same kind of guidance. Career-connected learning programs that prioritize relationship-building help to address this network gap.

These apprenticeships and other career-learning opportunities like job talks and internships help connect high-school and college-age students with others who are further along in their economic journeys. Such connections not only introduce students to different career possibilities but also expose them to the contacts who can set them up for professional success. 

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