Developing a youth apprenticeship in the United States would boost productivity, improve the preparation of youths for the skill demands of a global economy, and simultaneously offer minority youth an avenue into the economic mainstream. Germany's "dual system" of youth apprenticeship could be adopted to form a national skill-building partnership between public schools and businesses in the United States that would expand the supply of skilled workers, narrow the earnings gap between college and noncollege youth, create new incentives for youths to stay in school, and offer disadvantaged youths a realistic alternative to early parenthood and crime. One vision of a youth apprenticeship system in the United States includes five steps: (1) changing school curricula to expose students in grades 8-10 to information about various occupations; (2) offering 10th graders a choice between pursuing an apprenticeship or remaining in a purely academic track; (3) creating a 3-year apprenticeship starting in grade 11; (4) giving apprentices a comprehensive test at the end of grade 12 to ensure both job and educational proficiency; and (5) spending at least 75 percent of the third year of apprenticeship on the job while spending the remainder in either a high school or a community college. (Contains 17 references.) (MN)