The U.S. Department of Labor today released a forecast notice announcing the upcoming availability of $145 million in funding to support a pay-for-performance incentive payments program to further expand the national apprenticeship system.
The initiative, which represents the most significant investment taken to date in response to President Trump’s directive to meet and exceed 1 million active apprentices nationwide, is built on a pay-for-performance model, ensuring taxpayer dollars deliver measurable outcomes.
“By broadening the use of the pay-for-performance model, the Trump Administration is taking decisive action to accelerate our expansion of Registered Apprenticeships,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “Working in collaboration with a broad base of partners, including program sponsors, employers, unions, national and regional industry groups, and other relevant stakeholders, I am confident that high-quality Registered Apprenticeships will grow at a faster pace so we can close the skills gap and fill in-demand, mortgage-paying jobs.”
The department will award up to five cooperative agreements for a four-year period of performance focusing on the expansion of newly developed Registered Apprenticeships, as well as the growth of existing programs across industries. The program will also place an emphasis on incentivizing industries with a well-established Registered Apprenticeship program infrastructure.
Overseen by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the program supports the implementation of several presidential executive orders related to expanding Registered Apprenticeships including, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth,” “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” and “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base.”
Read the forecast notice for the pay-for-performance incentive payments program on Grants.gov.