U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez recently visited Cleveland to kick off the first-ever National Apprenticeship Week, an effort to re-brand a concept that many feel is outdated. "When I talk to parents, and they say, 'Apprenticeship?' That sounds like yesterday's concept.' What I tell them is that an apprenticeship is the other college—except without the debt," he said. "The 'earn while you learn' model works." And the data back up that notion. According to Labor Department figures, 87 percent of apprentices become employed upon completing their programs, with an average starting wage above $50,000 a year. Perez says President Obama will be leading an initiative to double the number of apprenticeship programs in the United States by about 750,000 by 2019. About a year and a half into this effort, the number has already grown by 450,000. Part of this effort was to award $175 million in American Apprenticeship Grants. "The $175 million is the biggest investment ever by the Department of Labor in apprenticeship," Perez said. "What it is designed to do is to increase both the quantity and quality and the breadth of apprenticeship."