How Trump Can Make Apprenticeships a Hit

The former host of “The Apprentice” may have finally found a government program suitable to his talents. As part of “workforce development week,” President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka are touting the administration’s commitment to increasing the number of Americans doing apprenticeships.

A well-designed apprenticeship system -- one that combines classroom instruction with paid, on-the-job training in a specific trade -- has the potential to help U.S. companies grow, reduce their need for foreign talent, liberate young people from the burdens of college debt, and provide low-income Americans with a pathway to the middle class. However, there are cultural, political and practical obstacles to creating such a system.