Can apprenticeships reduce education inequity and improve social immobility?

This work proposes a purpose-driven marketing solution to address education inequity and social immobility prevalent in the United States through the design of a national apprenticeship program. Using market data, customer personas, and the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to demonstrate how a dual vocational–educational model supported by mentorship and partnerships can expand access to postsecondary pathways for low-income students. Findings indicate that scalable, ecosystem-based program design can simultaneously improve social mobility outcomes while contributing to labor force participation and talent pipeline development.