Picture a woman who completes every course required for her degree, balances a job, raises children, and reaches the final stage of her training, only to discover that the hundreds of hours she must complete next are legally unpaid. In 43 states, employers who would gladly compensate her for that work are prohibited from doing so. If policymakers want a response to workforce shortages, economic mobility, and the labor disruptions already emerging from artificial intelligence, they should start by removing this outdated restriction.

The policy change I am advocating does not require a new federal program, a major spending package, or an employer mandate. It simply allows employers to pay apprentices for required clinical and field-based training hours if they choose to do so. Seven states have already modernized their laws. The remaining 43 should do the same.

This issue matters because the profile of today's learner has changed dramatically, while much of the legislation governing workforce preparation has remained frozen in a different era. Many of the policies governing clinical and field-based training were developed decades ago, when assumptions about who pursued higher education looked different. Policymakers often envisioned students as young adults supported by families, attending school full-time before entering the workforce.

That is no longer the reality. According to the 2025 New Majority Learner Report from Genio, 40.2% of college students are older than 22, 39.2% attend part-time, and 69.3% work while studying. The Postsecondary National Policy Institute reports that 47.6% of post-traditional students have dependent children. These numbers tell a story that should influence every workforce policy discussion. The typical learner is increasingly a working adult balancing employment, caregiving responsibilities, transportation costs, rent, and rising household expenses while pursuing education.

When policymakers design training systems around........

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