The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life: A Conversation with Cory McCray
Release Date: 07/14/2025
Advancing Apprenticeship in the Rural U.S.: Leading Lessons From Montana
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe chats with Glen Disque, Director of the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program; Madeline Boehm, Registered Apprenticeship Program Manager at Health Career Advancement Program (H-CAP); and Zach Boren, Senior Vice President at Apprenticeships for America. Together, they discuss the success and growth of Registered Apprenticeship in Montana, including the immense rise of healthcare apprenticeships; plans to continue the growth of apprenticeship in the state; why rural areas are so ripe for...
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What’s Next for Apprenticeship in the U.S.
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe chats with John Colborn, Executive Director of Apprenticeships for America. Together, they discuss John’s journey in the apprenticeship space, pay-for-performance strategies such as the Trump administration funding for the Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program, AFA’s grading of the administration on its efforts to grow apprenticeship, the impact of apprenticeship in a few successful states and how apprenticeship varies across states, the power of the intermediary in expanding...
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Higher Education’s Push Toward a New Value Proposition
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Doug Lederman, Principal of Lederman Advisory Services and Co-founder and former Editor of Inside Higher Ed, chat with Colleen Flaherty, Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed, and Sara Weissman, Senior Reporter at Inside Higher Ed. Together, they discuss the most important developments in higher ed today, how higher ed leaders are aiming to change the narrative surrounding higher ed’s value, why higher ed is leaning into apprenticeships and other...
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Bonus Episode: A Supercut in Honor of National Apprenticeship Week
Apprenticeship 2.0
In honor of National Apprenticeship Week, Joe tees up a handful of memorable clips from past episodes of Apprenticeship 2.0. Hear insights from Kathleen deLaski, Founder and Board Chair of the Education Design Lab; Dr. Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Co-Founder of Reach University and Oxford Teachers Academy, and current President of Craft Education at Western Governors University; Alison Griffin, Principal Consultant at FutureRise; Ryan Craig, Author and Investor behind Achieve Partners and Apprenticeships for America; Jeff Selingo, higher education thought leader and longtime higher ed journalist;...
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Breaking Down Hiring Standards, AI, and Evolving Talent Pathways
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Dr. Anastasia Wickham, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Reach University, chat with Matt Sigelman, President of the Burning Glass Institute, and Mark Schneider, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Stony Brook University. Together, they discuss the intersection of labor and education market data, why employers are dropping bachelor’s degree requirements and what that signals for the value of the degree, whether admissions standards truly matter in today’s education landscape,...
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Rethinking the College-to-Career Pipeline
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe chats with Alison Griffin, Principal with FutureRise, and Jeff Selingo, higher education strategist and longtime journalist. Together, they discuss whether higher education and the workforce are due for radical realignment, what’s driving the shift toward apprenticeship and work-based learning, evolving student perspectives on career pathways and how institutions are responding, what needs to happen with higher ed and workforce policy, what a more aligned education-to-workforce system could look like moving forward, and much more. Read these recent articles from...
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The Apprenticeship College of Health: Reimagining the Healthcare Career Pathway
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Laura Hopkins, Executive Director of the Healthcare Training Fund, chat with Dr. Metoka Welch, Executive Dean of the Apprenticeship College of Health (ACH); Dr. Anastasia Wickham, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Reach University; and Melody McKee, Director of Behavioral Strategy at the Healthcare Training Fund. Together, they discuss the impetus and origins of the ACH, why apprenticeship degrees are needed in behavioral health, how the ACH differs from other healthcare apprenticeship pathways, how the ACH will maintain a rigorous curriculum while...
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Building Successful Startup Apprenticeship Programs From the Ground Up
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe chats with Heather Terenzio, Director of the Incubation practice at JFFLabs, and Carlos Vazquez, Founder of GoSprout. Together, they discuss the upfront questions to answer when starting an apprenticeship program; how startups should think about compliance and governance when launching and growing an apprenticeship program; building apprenticeship into a lean startup, without compromising quality or learner outcomes; how federal and state policymakers can further incentivize employers to expand apprenticeship programs; advice for entrepreneurs looking to create their own...
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Designing Inclusive Executive Apprenticeship Pathways
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Dr. Eric Dunker, Chief Engagement Officer at Reach University, chat with Diego Mariscal, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International (2GI); Philip Minardi, Co-founder of BuildWithin; and Dr. Susan Crystal-Mansour, Interim Executive Director at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Together, they discuss apprenticeship pathways for executives with disabilities; standardization and measurement of registered apprenticeship for startup executives; scaling apprenticeship across massive, high-turnover industries and barriers to expansion;...
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Mapping, Modeling, and Mobilizing the Future of Work-Embedded Degrees
Apprenticeship 2.0
In this episode, Joe and guest co-host Dr. Eric Dunker, Chief Engagement Officer at Reach University, chat with Ivy Love, Senior Policy Analyst in the Center on Education and Labor at New America; Laura Love, Senior Vice President, Work-Based Learning, at Strada Education Foundation; and Michael Horn, Author, Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. Together, they discuss the impetus and findings from New America’s recent report, Mapping the Landscape of Degree Apprenticeship: Expanding a...
info_outlineIn this episode of Apprenticeship 2.0, Joe chats with Cory McCray, Maryland state Senator and author of The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life. Together, they discuss McCray’s book and journey, why apprenticeships remain undervalued in American society, how apprenticeship candidates can be more prepared for interviews, where McCray sees apprenticeship headed, and much more.
Coming Sept. 30, preorder The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life at apprenticeshipcheatcode.com, tinyurl.com/nhhvxmye, or wherever you get your books.
Music by Evgeny Bardyuzha from Pixabay.