​Dr. Robert I. Lerman is Chairman of Apprenticeships for America, Emeritus Professor of Economics at American University, and a Research Fellow at IZA in Bonn, Germany (www.iza.org). He was one of the first scholars to examine the economic determinants of unwed fatherhood and to propose a youth apprenticeship strategy in the U.S. His published research covers apprenticeship, family structure, inequality, income support, and youth employment and development.

 

A leading academic expert on U.S. apprenticeship, Dr. Lerman’s publications include “The compelling case for youth apprenticeship” (The Public Interest, 1990), “Expanding Apprenticeship Opportunities inthe United States” (Brookings Institution), and “Skill Development in Middle Skill Occupations: The Role of Apprenticeship Training” (Oxford University Press, 2017). With Avner Ahituv, he showed the linkages between marriage and men’s earnings in various publications.

 

Dr. Lerman was a 2024 winner of the McGraw Prize in Education for contributions to lifelong learning (mcgrawprize.com/winners). He has testified before several congressional committees and served on the National Academy of Sciencespanel on the U.S. post-secondary education and training system. In 2022, he co-founded Apprenticeships for America (www.apprenticeshipsforamerica.org). Dr. Lerman earned an B.A. at Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in economics at MIT.

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To view full curriculum vitae, click here

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