The Biden-Harris administration is expanding the Registered Apprenticeship program in certain U.S. industries and investing in workforce development to provide job access to women, people of color, veterans and other historically marginalized workers, according to a July 11 announcement from the White House.
As part of the administration’s broader Investing in America plan, the investments are intended to create training pipelines for in-demand jobs, regardless of college degree.
“To do that, the Administration launched nine Investing in America Workforce Hubs across the country that are bringing together unions, local governments, employers, training providers, schools, community colleges, and other stakeholders to facilitate partnerships to train and connect workers to jobs in high-demand sectors,” according to the announcement.
In 2023, the Biden administration launched five workforce hubs in Augusta, Georgia; Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix; and Pittsburgh, which expanded pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships, trained workers and supported community college programs. This year, four new hubs will start in upstate New York, Michigan, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
As part of the July announcement, Philadelphia launched new efforts to build workforce development pipelines to attract workers. For instance, the Geographic and Economic Hiring Preference program aims to hire 50% of apprentices and 20% of journeypersons on certain public works projects from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods across the city, ensuring 200 new apprenticeships in underserved communities.
Nationwide, new investments in pre-apprenticeship programs aim to double the number of people moving into registered apprenticeships and increase apprentice retention rates. The funding is slated to reach communities across 32 states.
Additional funding will support the Registered Apprenticeship program, including public-private partnerships across in-demand fields, such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, IT and cybersecurity, and K-12 education.
Although apprenticeships remain outside the mainstream in the U.S., they’ve received more attention in recent years, particularly as part of Biden administration expansions. The apprenticeship programs are intended to serve as another avenue to fill talent gaps and build pipelines, particularly in industries that don’t receive high interest from younger workers.
However, earlier in 2024, Republican lawmakers told the U.S. Department of Labor that a proposed rule about the Registered Apprenticeship program would disincentivize small businesses from participating. The lawmakers complained about administrative requirements, including mandatory disclosures and required adoption of a time-based model for apprenticeship completion.