German and Swiss apprenticeship systems have inspired a surge in activity in the United States to expand the number and diversity of apprentices and the range of occupations they learn. The majority of American apprentices are White men in the construction trades who are in their twenties and thirties. Seeing high school students performing complex tasks in factories, banks, and other “adult” workplaces has convinced American observers that both young people and employers would benefit from a comparable system. German and Swiss multinational firms have brought their own programs to their U.S. locations, proving that it can be done. However, efforts to date have been small, in part because the system infrastructure that supports apprenticeship in those countries has not yet been constructed. Advocates have recognized this need but the barriers to meeting it have not yet been surmounted.