Sponsors (10)
The bill expands and funds industry-aligned pre-apprenticeship pathways and reporting to improve job readiness and access—especially for targeted groups—while relying on state matching, adding administrative requirements, and creating modest federal costs and uncertainty about future appropriations.
People who complete approved pre-apprenticeships (students, young adults, unemployed workers) get a formal, direct pathway into qualified apprenticeships, improving job-entry and career advancement opportunities.
Participants (including low-income individuals) can have a substantial portion of pre-apprenticeship costs (tuition, fees, textbooks, equipment, curriculum) covered through competitive federal grants, lowering financial barriers to training.
The program emphasizes industry-aligned curricula, hands-on training with safety protocols, and possible articulation of transferable postsecondary credit, increasing job readiness and educational continuity for participants.
States and local taxpayers must provide significant matching funds because federal grants cover only 20–50% of project costs, shifting substantial financial burden to state budgets and local taxpayers.
Preparing applications, coordinating multiple programs (e.g., Perkins, WIOA), and meeting reporting/performance requirements creates new administrative workload and costs for state governments.
The law requires funds to supplement—not supplant—existing workforce funding, which may force states to redirect or reallocate existing dollars rather than create new capacity, complicating budgeting and program planning.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Directs Labor to identify in‑demand occupations that underuse registered apprenticeships, analyze apprenticeship use, report to States and Congress, and authorizes $15M/year for 2026–2031.
Introduced March 3, 2025 by Rosa L. Delauro · Last progress March 3, 2025
Directs the Secretary of Labor to identify occupations and regions that underuse registered apprenticeship programs, analyze how the apprenticeship model is being used in those areas, and report the findings to States and to Congress. Sets definitions for "qualified apprenticeship," "pre-apprenticeship," "related instruction," "sponsor," and "postsecondary educational institution," and authorizes funding to carry out the law. Requires pre-apprenticeship sponsors to have industry-aligned curricula, supervised hands-on and classroom training that do not displace paid employees, and formal agreements with qualified apprenticeship sponsors (including possible credit articulation with postsecondary institutions). Authorizes $15 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2031 to implement the Act.