Sponsors (9)
The bill expands paid, industry-aligned STEM apprenticeship and training capacity—particularly through community colleges and minority-serving institutions—improving job pathways for many students, while raising modest federal costs and potentially disadvantaging smaller providers and some local economic partnerships.
Students and job-seekers—particularly low-income individuals—gain more paid, industry-aligned STEM apprenticeship opportunities outside four-year colleges.
Community colleges, registered apprenticeship sponsors, and minority-serving institutions receive funding preference to expand workforce training, benefiting institutions that serve large numbers of underrepresented or nontraditional students.
Grant funding can support recruitment, planning, technical assistance, and adoption of emerging technologies, strengthening program quality and industry relevance for training providers and their students.
Taxpayers may face increased federal spending to fund new grants and interagency work, potentially without a clear, dedicated appropriation.
Smaller or non-priority training providers could be crowded out because the Director must prefer community colleges, registered apprenticeship sponsors, and MSIs, reducing competition and geographic/provider diversity.
Restrictions on using funds to induce businesses to relocate may limit certain industry partnerships or regional economic development strategies that rely on relocation incentives.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates an NSF competitive grant program to fund STEM apprenticeships outside four-year colleges and a task force to inventory related federal programs.
Creates a new National Science Foundation (NSF) competitive grant program to support STEM apprenticeship programs run outside of four-year colleges, prioritizing registered apprenticeship sponsors, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions. Also establishes a temporary eight-member interagency task force to identify and report federal STEM career-development and training programs tied to apprenticeships, community colleges, or minority-serving institutions within one year.
Introduced June 17, 2025 by Luz M. Rivas · Last progress June 17, 2025