President Donald Trump directed the secretaries of Labor, Education and Commerce to submit a plan within 120 days to “reach and surpass 1 million new active apprentices,” according to an executive order signed April 23.
The fact sheet castigated previous administrations’ investments in higher education, stating that many currently funded programs — including the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act, signed into law in 2014 — do not have the incentives necessary “to meet workforce training needs.”
The requested plan must identify:
- Avenues to expand registered apprenticeships to new industries,
- Ways to scale apprenticeships across the country, and
- Ways to improve connections between the education system and apprenticeship programs.
The fact sheet suggests that the intention of the administration is to reach this 1 million goal each year.
The order also calls upon the departments of Labor, Commerce and Education to “improve transparency on the performance outcomes of workforce development programs” as well as any credentials that might be supported with federal dollars.
“This decisive action is yet another example of President Trump keeping his promise to American workers, empowering them to fill good-paying, in-demand jobs that will secure our economic comeback,” Lori Chavez-DeRemer, DOL secretary, said in a statement.
The White House called out a shortage of construction and durable goods workers that is projected to persist and grow. The fact sheet also flags AI as a focal point for development.
“As the potential of American AI increases, and as America reshores manufacturing and makes Made in America a mark of international envy, America will need more skilled tradesman [sic] than we’re prepared to train,” the fact sheet said.
Various reports, including one prepared for the DOL Chief Evaluation Office, have shown how registered apprenticeships can help workers access living wages, particularly workers in construction. That report defined a living wage as “the earnings required to pay for minimum basic needs, including food, housing, transportation, clothing, and other essentials.”
During Trump’s first administration, the DOL published an apprenticeship rule that enabled employers to create their own versions of registered apprenticeship programs, called Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs. These programs were vetted and approved by third parties, including industry groups. The Biden DOL rescinded the Trump rule in September 2022.
