April 26, 2026 kicked off National Apprenticeship Week in the United States. The U.S. Department of Labor describes apprenticeships as combining “paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction to prepare workers for highly-skilled careers,” usually lasting 1-3 years.
The Limitations of Registered Apprenticeships
Research shows that registered apprenticeships are effective ways to promote career pathways (Gallup, 2024). But most apprenticeship programs are concentrated in the building and skilled trades and service sectors. While committing to a specific industry section matters for vocational occupations, this is a limitation for knowledge worker positions and may even limit exposure to a range of career options.
Furthermore, federal and state funding requires that apprenticeships be “registered,” which means they must be approved and validated to align with clear standards. These strict regulations limit the flexibility of apprenticeship programs, making it harder for them to be responsive to the fast-changing demands of the tech workforce than a less-regulated training program. As a result, most apprenticeships are designed to build pathways, but are not positioned to support the career navigation skills that are now needed to help youth pivot in response to shifting opportunities.
Roughly 310,000 people under age 24 participated in registered apprenticeships last year, but there are 2.5 million youth in the U.S. looking for work. While apprenticeships are an important part of youth workforce development, many fall short of providing access to the resources, supports, networks, and opportunities to navigate an increasingly fragmented and digital labor market where career paths are less linear.
The BizzNEST Model: Agility Through Community
Digital NEST provides an alternative approach to formal apprenticeships by helping youth learn the latest tech skills and engage in creative problem solving as part of a cohort model of paid work experience. Founded in 2016, BizzNEST is a 1-year career accelerator program in which young professionals ages 18-24 launch their careers as they design and create projects in marketing, software development, IT, and UX/UI design with clients like Adobe and OpenAI, as well as local children’s museums and libraries.
BizzNEST provides a more connected experience within a structured cohort. Youth work with mentors and peers to get clarity about their next steps, and build the professional and technical skills and connections to pursue them.
Research on the Digital NEST model suggests that on-the-job training is most powerful when done as part of a community of practice that accelerates professional growth and builds a professional network of support.
“Working with a team is a big [benefit of the program]. Not only did I meet a group of friends that will stick with me for as far as I can see, but I also found myself in a team of like-minded individuals who will forever be my first picks in any project.” – A BizzNEST associate
The Proof is in the Data
This is how the 2024-25 cohort of BizzNEST benefited:
- Got some experience to put on my resume: 94%
- Made friends that support me: 92%
- Learned something new about careers and/or myself: 92%
- Gained new technical skills: 89%
- Improved my soft skills (communication, time management): 87%
- Created pieces for my portfolio: 85%
- Got help with my career documents (resume, cover letter, etc): 81%
- Got a mentor or someone I can talk to about my goals and career: 66%
What helped them get those benefits was interacting with other people:
- Collaborating and working as a team
- Client work (includes liking real-world projects and working as a team)
- Networking events with employers/industry including field trips:
- Mentorship (includes external mentors and staff mentors)
BizzNEST alumni end up working at companies such as Superset (a startup incubator), Paystand, Adobe, KSBW-TV, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. 79% of 2024-2025 BizzNEST associates secured paid work opportunities as a result of participating in the program, significantly outperforming California’s 24% job-finding rate, according to California EDD Labor Market Review August 2025.
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