Sarah Grobbel | VP of Consulting, CareerWise

Before a young person can thrive in an apprenticeship, their school has to be ready to launch them. This session puts school leaders at the center of the youth apprenticeship movement, exploring what it takes to build an apprenticeship-ready school and why doing so can transform outcomes for students. School leaders from Illinois, Maryland, and New York City Public Schools, the nation's largest district, will share how they are embedding apprenticeship readiness into the student experience, from early career exposure to the skills and confidence students need before day one on the job. Attendees will dig into what readiness requires from schools, including counseling, scheduling, employer engagement, and career navigation, and leave with practical strategies that districts of any size can adapt to turn student interest into successful apprenticeship placements.

Alexandra Simon | Senior Policy Analyst, New America

Becca Huntting | Vice President of Impact, CareerWise

Marissa Ulrich | Director of Leadership & Cultural Development, Patrick Industries

Youth apprenticeship offers benefits beyond developing a skilled talent pipeline, yet many of these less tangible returns are rarely measured. In this session, New America and CareerWise will share findings from their recent report, Employers Report Four Indirect Benefits of Youth Apprenticeship, highlighting the broader value employers experience. An employer will share firsthand insights into these benefits. Presenters will also explore practical ways intermediaries and apprenticeship programs can work with employers to collect data, document indirect benefits, and use these insights to strengthen employer engagement and support program sustainability. 

Lancy Downs | Senior Policy Analyst, New America

Courtney Newton | Director of Next Generation Learning 6–12, Nelson County Schools

Cindy Gutierrez | Assistant Dean of Teacher Education & Partnerships, School of Education & Human Development, University of Colorado Denver

Full session details and speaker lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.

No one makes the case for apprenticeship better than the young people living it. In this session, apprentices take the stage to share their own career mobility stories — how earning while learning helped them skip the slow lane, land real responsibility early, and advance faster than their peers on traditional paths. Panelists will speak candidly about where they started, the doubts they faced, and the moments their trajectory changed, from first interviews to promotions that came years ahead of schedule. Attendees will leave with a firsthand understanding of what acceleration actually looks like for young people — and the stories to bring back to students, families, and employers who are still asking whether apprenticeship pays off.

Zach Boren | Senior Vice President, Apprenticeship for America

Federal apprenticeship policy is evolving fast — and for practitioners on the ground, interpreting what it all means can be half the battle. This session breaks down current federal guidance on registered apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship: how the two are defined and where they intersect, what compliance actually requires, and which federal funding streams programs can tap. Zach Boron from AFA will translate the fine print into practical terms, flag recent shifts practitioners need to know, and share how programs across the country are navigating the registered/youth apprenticeship relationship. Attendees will leave with a working understanding of the federal landscape and clearer answers to bring back to their partners, employers, and state agencies.

What students need to graduate shapes what they have time to explore. Indiana and Colorado have taken bold steps to rethink high school graduation requirements, creating new room for work-based learning and youth apprenticeship. This session brings together leaders from both states to share what changed, how the policies came together, and what implementation looks like on the ground. Attendees will leave with lessons and practical insights for advancing similar policy in their own states.