Jeanne Bellotti
Senior Director, Business Development
View Bio PageStrengthening apprenticeships through evidence, insight, and impact
Apprenticeships are expanding beyond the trades into sectors like education, health care, and information technology, but expansion alone does not ensure consistent quality or results. Policymakers and workforce leaders face a central challenge: how to scale apprenticeship programs that deliver reliable value for both workers and employers. Mathematica partners with federal, state, and foundation leaders to generate rigorous evidence and action-ready insights that can be applied to strengthen and expand high-quality apprenticeship systems.
Our work focuses on:
Across the country, policymakers and workforce leaders are turning to apprenticeship to build durable career pathways by pairing paid work experience with structured learning and credentials. The growing body of evidence helps decision makers answer practical questions: What do “high-quality” apprenticeships look like in practice? What evidence exists on the drivers of successful scale? Which system capacities and investments are most associated with better outcomes for participants and employers?
Supporting apprenticeship programs with data and performance insights
A critical challenge for apprenticeship leaders is access to timely, reliable data to understand participant progress, demonstrate results, and improve programs in real time. Many programs face challenges with fragmented systems, inconsistent data, and reporting requirements that make it difficult to identify what’s working and where to adjust.
How using data can make apprenticeship programs more effective
When high-quality data are aligned with program goals, leaders can move beyond compliance to identify gaps, target support, and improve outcomes. High-quality data empower program leaders to pinpoint where participants need support and make timely adjustments that improve results.
Efforts to strengthen apprenticeship data systems show that aligning data across programs is essential for tracking outcomes and improving performance. Through our support of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Data Alignment and Performance Technical Assistance Center, Mathematica contributes to national efforts to expand data and performance capacity across apprenticeship systems.
In Indiana, partners are using improved data collection and continuous improvement practices to strengthen the Career Apprenticeship Pathway program and translate data into action-ready insights. This work includes collaboration with the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation to enhance reporting and strengthen data quality.
Together, these efforts help ensure data are a practical tool leaders use to improve program performance and outcomes for both participants and employers.
Achieving quality at scale
Evidence shows apprenticeship programs deliver strong returns, but scaling those results requires consistent program quality and system support.
Mathematica’s seminal study of Registered Apprenticeship programs offers some of the most rigorous evidence to date on their impact. Analyzing programs across 10 states, the research shows that participants earn substantially more than comparable nonparticipants, and the program’s benefits far exceed its costs over time.
As one of the most comprehensive evaluations of Registered Apprenticeship in the United States, the study demonstrates the model’s clear return on investment and highlights where leaders can expand access, improve outcomes, and strengthen workforce systems.
To help policymakers and practitioners understand what it takes to scale apprenticeship in fast‑growing industries, Mathematica partnered with the Urban Institute to build a rigorous evidence base on federal, state, and local strategies. Together, we produced the Apprenticeship Evidence‑Building Portfolio, which examined how two major federal grant programs—the Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector‑Based Strategies grants and the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grants—were implemented, what impacts they achieved, and whether the benefits justified the costs.
Building the evidence: Youth apprenticeship
Youth apprenticeship can connect students ages 16–24 to real work experience and credentials, but program designs vary widely, and leaders need clear evidence on which program models deliver the best outcomes.
The Study of High-Quality Youth Apprenticeship, commissioned by a group of philanthropic organizations, is generating evidence on which program designs produce the strongest outcomes for participants and employers while documenting promising practices in program design, implementation, and sustainability.
This work examines outcomes for apprentices and employers, along with implementation strategies that support quality and scale, so leaders can identify which models to expand and invest in.
Supporting apprenticeship expansion across state systems
Expanding Registered Apprenticeship programs depends on how effectively state systems align incentives, coordinate partners, and provide consistent support.
In the State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant Research Study, state administrators, grantees, and contractors identified what worked, where challenges emerged, and which strategies most effectively expanded apprenticeship.
This research highlights the importance of system capacity, partner coordination, and aligned incentives in sustaining apprenticeship growth.
Expanding opportunity across workforce pathways
Across sectors, a growing body of evidence helps policymakers and practitioners build coordinated education and workforce systems that are designed for long-term impact. This research shows how apprenticeship models can address workforce needs, strengthen service delivery, and expand career pathways.
In early childhood education, for example, apprenticeship models are being used to address workforce shortages while supporting credential attainment and career advancement. The Massachusetts Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Study examines how these programs are implemented and what they mean for educators and the children they serve.
Recent findings show that apprenticeship models can expand workforce pathways in health and human services. A report on community health worker apprenticeships highlights how Registered Apprenticeship Programs combine paid, on-the-job learning with classroom instruction to prepare workers for critical roles supporting community health. These models offer structured pathways into growing fields while strengthening service delivery.
