How to keep the Apprenticeship Act relevant in the future of work

More important than volume, though, is the long-term impact. A study by the Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS), based on about 80,000 young people, shows that those who participated in the program have an income between 24% and 35% higher between the ages of 25 and 29 and are up to ten percentage points more likely to be in the formal labor market compared with similar young people who have not participated in the apprenticeship program. Academic research published in the journal Labour Economics also indicates that the quality of the first job — in pay and complexity — decisively influences professional performance throughout life.