Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez has introduced AB 1569, the Youth Apprenticeship Tax Credit Program, which would provide tax credits to employers that offer apprenticeships for youth between the ages of 16 and 25. Employers participating in the program would qualify for a tax credit of $2,000 for each registered apprentice.
According to the report, “Halve the Gap by 2030: Youth Disconnection in America’s Cities,” released last fall by Measure of America, one in every seven Americans between the ages of 16 and 24, or about 5.8 million young people in the country, are neither working nor in school. In the Inland Empire, the number is nearly one in every five, or 117,000 of the roughly 620,000 teens and young adults. This is the highest rate of youth disconnection among the countries most populous 25 metro areas.
“The alarmingly high rate of disconnected youth is unacceptable,” said Rodriguez. “These statistics not only reflect a high level of disengagement among our youth, but also suggest that they lack opportunities to succeed as adults.”
The need to train more workers with the skills and knowledge to sustain a high-wage economy has focused attention on youth apprenticeship as a policy strategy for improving the school-to-work transition for many youth in the United States. States including Arkansas, Connecticut, Michigan, Missouri, Rhode Island and Virginia, among others, have already established Youth Apprenticeship Tax Credit programs.
“Expanding training and job opportunities for youth are the most effective way to keep them engaged and connected to their community,” Rodriguez continued. “The availability of a tax credit, which provides an incentive for businesses to employ apprentices, will also ensure the development of a workforce with sufficient on-the-job training to find and keep good paying jobs.”
Assemblymember Rodriguez represents the 52nd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona and portions of unincorporated Fontana.