It seemed too good to be true: a job opportunity with a $30,000 salary plus college tuition? When Sarat Atobajeun found the posting on the website of Harper College, a community college based in  Palatine, IL, she was puzzled. But as officials assured her, the program was very real. A Swiss insurance company was bringing its apprenticeship program to the U. S.

A variety of trades—blacksmiths, printers, woodworkers— have historically used apprenticeships to teach skills to new employees. But in today’s world, it’s unusual, to say the least. Internships, sure. But paying students to learn as they work is a revelation.

Rising tuition, increased automation, and high demand for skilled workers has scrambled the traditional college-to-work pipeline. For Atobajeun, it meant a new opportunity: getting paid to learn and work. She accepted a job at Zurich insurance, working three days a week and attending classes the other two days. In two years, she’ll receive an associate degree in business.

“If we can develop channels that provide employers with the talent they need, with the right training to get the job done in ways that are more efficient, that’s a win for both sides,” said Matthew Sigelman, chief executive of Burning Glass Technologies, told The Hechinger Report.

The Obama administration and Congress were both on board to expand apprenticeship programs, which are very common in Europe. They dolled out $265 million to fund training programs over the past three years. But the current administration hasn’t been so quick to embrace the programs, and their future is uncertain. 

The apprenticeship program reflects a broader shift toward occupational training at Harper College and institutions like it. Kenneth Ender, the President of Harper College, believes that there is no one-size-fits-all education in today’s world of work.

“The slow, four-year baccalaureate is a privileged way of getting an education,” he told The Hechinger Report. “Some will be able to do it; most won’t.”