Sponsors (4)
Creates two competitive grant programs to support construction- and manufacturing-focused registered apprenticeship pathways: one grant program pays for community outreach to high schools, employers, and workforce partners to boost apprenticeship awareness and recruitment; the other funds expanded academic advising and student support for people enrolled in those apprenticeship programs. Each program can award grants up to $500,000, and each is authorized at $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026–2030; the Secretary (in coordination with the Secretary of Labor) administers the programs and recipients must report on activities and outcomes.
The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall provide grants to eligible entities to expand or support student and employer outreach related to the construction- and manufacturing-oriented registered apprenticeship programs offered by those entities.
The total grant amount made to an eligible entity under this section may not exceed $500,000.
Grants must be used for outreach to high schools to educate students, parents, guardians, and faculty on the benefits of enrolling students in the eligible entity’s construction- and manufacturing-oriented registered apprenticeship program.
Grants must be used for outreach to local businesses and other potential employers to educate them on the benefits of supporting and hiring graduates of the program; this outreach must primarily target relationship building with potential employers in rural, exurban, and suburban areas and seek to maximize the number of students who work in those areas after completing the program.
Grants must be used for outreach to local workforce development boards and apprenticeship intermediaries to reach nontraditional student populations and prioritize local needs.
Primary beneficiaries will be registered apprenticeship programs focused on construction and manufacturing, the students/apprentices who enroll in those programs, and community and education partners that carry out outreach and advising. The outreach grants aim to increase awareness and recruitment by funding organized outreach to high schools, employers, and workforce partners; this should raise applicant pools for apprenticeship sponsors and potentially diversify participation. The advising/support grants are designed to improve retention and completion by funding academic advising, mentoring, and student services for apprentices—especially first-generation and underrepresented students identified in the bill. Administrative impact on federal agencies is modest: the Secretary (with the Department of Labor) must stand up grant competitions, monitor recipients, and collect reports. For recipients—colleges, workforce organizations, employer consortia, or nonprofits—there will be application, reporting, and compliance obligations but also new funding to expand services. Program scale is limited: at $5M/year and $500K max awards, annual award counts will be small (roughly up to ~10 awards per program per year if awards approach the cap), so effects will be targeted rather than nationwide in scope. The bill emphasizes equity and capacity-building rather than regulatory burdens, and does not create mandated costs for state or local governments beyond optional participation.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Last progress June 11, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 11, 2025 by Tina Smith
Updated 7 hours ago
Last progress July 22, 2025 (6 months ago)