Sponsors (9)
The bill expands paid, industry-aligned STEM apprenticeship and training supports—especially via community colleges and minority-serving institutions—to grow a workforce pipeline, but it raises federal costs, may disadvantage smaller providers, and imposes limits and timelines that could constrain partnerships and the usefulness of federal coordination efforts.
Students and job-seekers gain more paid, industry-aligned STEM apprenticeship opportunities outside four-year colleges, expanding hands-on pathways into technical careers.
Community colleges, registered apprenticeship sponsors, and minority-serving institutions receive funding preference to expand workforce training, directing resources to institutions that serve broad or underserved populations.
Grant funds can be used for recruitment, planning, technical assistance, and adoption of emerging technologies, which should strengthen program quality and keep training aligned with employer needs.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending to fund new grants and interagency work, raising fiscal costs even though exact appropriations and offsets aren't specified in the section.
Smaller or non-priority training providers risk being crowded out because the Director must prefer community colleges, registered apprenticeship sponsors, and MSIs when awarding funds.
Restrictions on using funds to induce businesses to relocate could 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 non-4-year STEM apprenticeships and an interagency task force to inventory federal STEM training programs.
Official title: To require the Director of the National Science Foundation to establish a program to award grants for certain STEM apprenticeship programs, require an interagency task force to submit a report regarding certain programs of the Federal Government focused primarily on career development and training in STEM, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 17, 2025 by Luz M. Rivas · Last progress June 17, 2025
Creates a new NSF competitive grant program to support STEM apprenticeship programs run outside four-year colleges and universities, prioritizing registered apprenticeship sponsors, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions. Grants may fund recruitment, planning, technical assistance, emerging-technology integration, industry partnerships, and related activities, with a prohibition on using funds to recruit or pay businesses to relocate. Requires an eight-member interagency task force (EPA, NSF, OSTP, Commerce, Education, Energy, HHS, Labor) to identify federal programs that fund STEM career development or training via registered apprenticeships, community colleges, or minority-serving institutions and to report to Congress within one year; the task force ends after the report is submitted.