Sponsors (2)
The bill expands access to academic credit, financial aid eligibility, and credential recognition for apprentices—helping learners and employers—while increasing federal aid costs, adding administrative burdens for institutions, and risking uneven geographic adoption.
Students and apprentices can receive academic credit for related instruction in registered apprenticeship programs, improving credential transferability and progress toward degrees.
Low- and middle-income Title IV recipients can use federal student aid and Federal Work‑Study for related instruction within apprenticeship programs, reducing out-of-pocket costs for learners.
Employers and apprenticeship sponsors gain stronger links with 2‑ and 4‑year institutions, making it easier to recruit workers who hold recognized academic credit or credentials.
Taxpayers could face higher federal spending and administrative costs because broader credit-awarding and Title IV eligibility for apprenticeship-related instruction increases aid outlays and oversight needs.
Postsecondary institutions and apprenticeship sponsors may incur new administrative burdens to negotiate articulation agreements, produce transcripts, and meet reporting requirements.
Because participation is voluntary, apprentices in areas without consortium members or institutional partners—including many rural communities—may see little or no benefit, producing uneven access.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires Labor and Education to create an agreement to form a voluntary Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium aligning apprenticeships with postsecondary credit, data, and aid guidance.
Official title: Support the establishment of an apprenticeship college consortium.
Introduced February 26, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress February 26, 2025
Creates a required interagency agreement between the Labor and Education Departments to build a voluntary Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium that connects registered apprenticeship programs with 2- and 4-year institutions. The agreement must cover data sharing, credit‑award/articulation practices, guidance aligning existing education laws and funding rules (including Title IV, Perkins, and the Rehabilitation Act), model agreements, electronic apprenticeship transcripts, technical assistance on allowable uses of aid (like Federal Work‑Study), outreach, and a public website listing consortium members and materials; the Labor Secretary must complete and submit the agreement within one year of enactment.