Sponsors (4)
The bill directs modest federal funding to expand targeted outreach, supports, and credential pathways for construction and manufacturing apprenticeships—improving equity and completion for many students and strengthening local hiring—while imposing per‑grant caps, administrative/accreditation burdens, and a $25M five‑year federal cost that may limit scalability and participation by smaller or nontraditional providers.
Students from rural, exurban, and other underrepresented backgrounds will get targeted outreach and information about construction and manufacturing apprenticeships, increasing enrollment opportunities and equity in access to career pathways.
Apprentices (and the employers who hire them) will receive expanded advising and wraparound supports — career advising, ESL, mentoring, mental‑health/substance‑use counseling, and childcare — improving retention, completion, and certification rates.
Predictable federal funding ($5 million per year, FY2026–2030; $25 million total over five years) provides stable support to expand outreach and apprentice support services across eligible entities.
Taxpayers fund the program at about $5 million per year (roughly $25 million over five years), which is a recurring federal expenditure that could be contested or require offsets if outcomes are limited.
Administrative requirements — application complexity, detailed reporting, and accreditation/crediting expectations — may deter or overwhelm smaller providers and nontraditional sponsors, reducing participation and limiting reach in some communities.
The per‑entity grant cap ($500,000) limits the ability of larger intermediaries and programs to scale outreach or support across wide regions, potentially leaving some communities underserved or requiring multiple smaller grants.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Introduced June 11, 2025 by Tina Smith · Last progress June 11, 2025
Creates two federal grant programs, run by the Department of Education with input from the Department of Labor, to help community colleges and similar institutions expand outreach and student supports for construction- and manufacturing-focused registered apprenticeship programs. Each grant can be up to $500,000; each program is authorized at $5 million per year for FY2026–FY2030. The outreach program funds recruitment and employer relationship-building (with priority for rural and underrepresented students); the student-supports program funds advising, counseling, childcare, and related services and requires recipient reporting on enrollment and completion outcomes.