In May 2022, Josh Studl compared several conflicting signals about education and hiring. They prompted a question for apprenticeship sponsors: how can someone keep earning while learning an occupation? They did not demonstrate that college was failing or that apprenticeships caused enrollment changes.
The dated signals
Yahoo Finance reported Chegg's lowered guidance. Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig attributed pressure to enrollment, inflation and students prioritizing earnings over coursework. That was his explanation, not an established cause of broader education trends.
Studl also cited The Balance's hiring email, which reported ADP's April private-sector job increase of 247,000, versus 479,000 in March. Those were contemporaneous ADP figures, not current labor-market data.
A March 2022 NPR report described falling community-college enrollment alongside stronger skilled-trades programs. Another NPR report discussed Georgetown CEW research showing that some workers without bachelor's degrees out-earned some degree holders.
Studl speculated that shorter technical pathways might offer a better return for some learners. The cited reports do not establish that vocational training always pays more than a degree, nor that Chegg's results measured apprenticeship demand.
What a sponsor can control
An apprenticeship pairs paid on-the-job learning with related instruction. To make that opportunity real, sponsors need clear employer roles, a training schedule and evidence of progress rather than relying on market headlines.
Apprentage supports the operational side by keeping instruction and OJT records together for sponsors and intermediaries. The 2022 observations are context, not an Apprentage performance claim.
Sources
Yahoo Finance · The Balance · NPR, skilled trades · NPR, degrees and earnings · Georgetown CEW.