Delaware’s record 2,117 registered apprentices show employers already understand a basic truth: skills grow through paid work, mentorship and progressively harder responsibility.
That matters as AI reaches entry-level jobs. A Stanford Digital Economy Lab analysis using ADP data through June found employment among U.S. workers ages 22 to 25 in highly AI-exposed occupations is about 19% below the pace of similarly aged workers in less-exposed occupations, up from 15% in the July 2025 data vintage. The adjustment appears mainly in reduced hiring.
Sussex County employers should respond by automating routine preparation while preserving the work that builds judgment. Let AI produce first drafts and standard analyses. Give junior employees responsibility for verification, exceptions, testing, customer communication and supervised decisions. Measure how quickly they reach independent competence.
Delaware is expanding apprenticeship into education, healthcare and other nontraditional fields. AI should make that model more valuable by moving beginners faster toward meaningful responsibility. The goal is a shorter path to expertise, not a missing first rung.
Gleb Tsipursky, PhD
CEO
Disaster Avoidance Experts
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