A growing number of industries are offering apprenticeships, hoping to attract new talent by offering free education and long-term career options, writes Lizzy McLellan Ravitch for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Risk-mitigation firm Aon started its Philadelphia apprenticeship program three years ago, in the middle of the pandemic. But the risk paid off. Aon’s first Philadelphia trainees stayed with the program and graduated in August. They all earned full-time jobs at the company.

“They not only finished their coursework at school, but showed up for mentoring and training,” said Aon managing partner Mark Armstrong.

This trend is growing not just in the region but nationally, as more industries embrace the learn-and-earn model. In the Philadelphia region, the number of active apprenticeships has nearly doubled since 2014.

While Philadelphia has the highest number of apprenticeships with a rise from 1,308 to 1,838 in the last decade (41 percent increase), the growth has been stronger in the suburbs.

Chester County has seen the number of apprenticeships increase from 144 to 361 (151 percent increase), Montgomery County has went from 455 to 939 (106 percent), Delaware County increased from 503 to 955 (90 percent), and Bucks County grew from 525 to 988 (88 percent).

Read more about the growing number of Philadelphia region companies offering apprenticeships in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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