Sponsors (2)
The bill expands and funds industry-aligned pre-apprenticeship pathways—improving training quality and access for disadvantaged and job-seeking Americans—while imposing state matching requirements, administrative limits, and reliance on competitive/annual funding that can produce uneven access and fiscal strain.
Low-income individuals, students, and young adults can access lower-cost pre-apprenticeship training and clearer pathways into registered apprenticeships, improving job prospects in in-demand industries.
Students and postsecondary institutions will get industry-aligned curricula and credit-recognition agreements so participants can earn academic credit for workplace skills, increasing training quality and postsecondary credentialing.
Veterans, people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and others with barriers to employment receive targeted outreach and expanded opportunities to participate in pre-apprenticeships.
State governments must provide matching funds (20–50% of costs), which could strain state budgets, force trade-offs with other state programs, or limit participation in places with tight fiscal capacity.
Competitive grant awards may be uneven across states, leaving low-capacity, rural, or lower-income states and their residents with fewer opportunities.
The Act authorizes $90 million over six years ( $15M/year), which adds taxpayer cost and — because authorization does not guarantee appropriation — the programs still face funding uncertainty if annual appropriations omit them.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Sets standards for pre-apprenticeship/qualified apprenticeship programs, directs Labor to analyze occupations that underuse apprenticeships, and authorizes $15M/year for 2026–2031.
Introduced February 11, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress February 11, 2025
Defines and sets standards for "pre-apprenticeship" and "qualified apprenticeship" programs, requires the Department of Labor to identify in-demand occupations that underuse apprenticeships and explain how apprenticeship models are (or are not) being used there, and authorizes funding to carry out those activities. The bill specifies required elements for pre-apprenticeship programs (industry-aligned curriculum, hands-on and classroom instruction, formal agreements with apprenticeship sponsors, and connections with postsecondary credit) and directs the Secretary to produce national and regional analyses and reports. The legislation also authorizes $15,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to implement the law and reporting tasks. It is mainly a definitional, analytic, and program-authorizing measure intended to expand and inform use of apprenticeship pathways in occupations where apprenticeships are currently uncommon.