Robert I. Lerman
Professor Emeritus, Economics
American University
PROFESSOR ROBERT LERMAN conducts research and publishes on employment, income support, and youth development, especially as they affect low-income populations. In the 1970s, he worked on reforming the nation’s income maintenance programs and on youth employment policies as staff economist for both the Congressional Joint Economic Committee and the U.S. Department of Labor. He was one of the first scholars to examine the patterns and economic determinants of unwed fatherhood and to propose a youth apprenticeship strategy in the U.S. He is currently an Institute Fellow at Urban Institute and a Research Associate at IZA in Bonn, Germany. Dr. Lerman is current serving as the President of the Society of Government Economists.
PROFESSOR ROBERT LERMAN conducts research and publishes on employment, income support, and youth development, especially as they affect low-income populations. In the 1970s, he worked on reforming the nation’s income maintenance programs and on youth employment policies as staff economist for both the Congressional Joint Economic Committee and the U.S. Department of Labor. He was one of the first scholars to examine the patterns and economic determinants of unwed fatherhood and to propose a youth apprenticeship strategy in the U.S. He is currently an Institute Fellow at Urban Institute and a Research Associate at IZA in Bonn, Germany. Dr. Lerman is current serving as the President of the Society of Government Economists.
Publications
Scaling Apprenticeship to Increase Human Capital
In this chapter, author Robert Lerman argues that a large-scale apprenticeship program could address these challenges, while also yielding substantial additional gains for employers and the U.S. economy. He first reviews the evidence on apprenticeship, which suggests that increasing the availability of apprenticeships would increase youth employment and wages, improve workers’ transitions from school to careers, upgrade those skills that employers most value, broaden access to rewarding careers, increase economic productivity, and contribute to positive returns for employers and workers.