DOL Axes Diversity Requirements for Registered Apprentice Programs

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule on Friday, Nov. 6, that completely revamps federal regulations for Registered Apprenticeship programs by eliminating the related standard’s affirmative action requirements.

The 283-page rule, titled “Prohibiting Illegal Discrimination in Registered Apprenticeship Programs,” was published in the Nov. 6 Federal Register and will take effect on Jan. 5, 2027.

The regulatory change is noteworthy since it:

Eliminates decade-old written affirmative action mandates reflected in 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 30 (“Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship”); and,
Shifts the system to comply within recent changes to federal and state antidiscrimination laws.

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Summary of the Major Regulatory Changes

The final rule reflects a major deregulation of the Registered Apprenticeship system, moving away from explicit diversity metrics to achieve two DOL goals:

Reduce the administrative burden on employers. The department noted that the previous rules created a “complicated array” of requirements that discouraged employers from starting or maintaining apprenticeship programs.
Legal alignment. The DOL cited the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (which struck down race-conscious admissions in higher education) as a reason for rolling back these “onerous and legally questionable” diversity mandates.

The table below shows where the specific changes occur.

Elements Embedded in 29 CFR Part 30	The Former Framework	The New Framework (Effective Jan. 5, 2027)
Written affirmative action plans	Sponsors with five or more apprentices had to create written plans and track metrics.	Written affirmative action program requirements are eliminated.
Demographic utilization analysis	Sponsors had to analyze apprentice demographics against local pools for race, sex and ethnicity.	Sponsors are no longer required to conduct demographic data analysis or set participation goals.
Targeted outreach and training	Mandatory antiharassment training and an equal employment opportunity (EEO) pledge were required.	Obligations are replaced by a straightforward requirement to comply with existing state and federal antidiscrimination laws.
Disability hiring goals	Mandated a 7% utilization goal for individuals with disabilities.	The 7% quota/goal has been removed alongside other demographic tracking.

What Remains Protected?

While affirmative action plans and diversity targets are no longer required for Registered Apprenticeship programs, the DOL underscored that illegal discrimination remains prohibited and reminded employers that:

Program sponsors must still comply with broader state and federal laws (such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).
Apprenticeship programs can’t discriminate against applicants or participants based on core protected traits including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, genetic information or disability.

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