Sponsors (35)
The bill modestly expands federally funded outreach, supports, and credentialing for construction and manufacturing apprenticeships—improving access, retention, and employer pipelines—while risking exclusion of smaller programs, adding administrative burdens, and requiring ongoing federal spending.
Students, unemployed workers, and local employers gain a federally funded pipeline into construction and manufacturing via a new $5M/year grant program (FY2026–2030) to expand apprenticeship outreach and recruitment.
Apprentices and high-school pathway students receive expanded academic advising, mentoring, ESL supports, and health/family services (mental health, SUD counseling, childcare) to reduce nonacademic barriers and improve retention and completion.
Apprenticeship participants gain access to coursework that awards college credit or a recognized postsecondary credential and programs must meet national accreditation standards, improving program quality and post-training mobility.
Smaller apprenticeship sponsors and some registered programs may become ineligible or face new costs because programs must lead to postsecondary credentials/credits and meet Title IV-recognized accreditation standards.
Taxpayers fund the new grants at $5M/year (FY2026–2030), creating additional federal spending that could displace other priorities.
Per-award caps of $500,000 may limit the ability of large intermediaries or statewide programs to scale services across many sites, reducing overall reach and impact.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes grants to apprenticeship colleges for outreach and student support for construction and manufacturing registered apprenticeships, $5M/year FY2026–2030 per program.
Official title: To authorize funding to expand and support enrollment at institutions of higher education that sponsor construction and manufacturing-oriented registered apprenticeship programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 22, 2025 by Angela Craig · Last progress July 22, 2025
Provides federal grant programs to support outreach, academic advising, and student support at institution-affiliated registered apprenticeship programs focused on construction and manufacturing. Each program awards grants (max $500,000 each) and prioritizes reaching rural, first-generation, minority, nontraditional, and underrepresented students, with $5 million authorized per year for FY2026–2030 for each of two grant streams. Grants fund employer and student outreach (to high schools, local employers, workforce boards, and intermediaries) and campus-based advising/support for apprenticeship enrollees; applicants must follow Department procedures and report on participation and outcomes.