DOL Opens Application Process for Registered Apprenticeship Funds

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Monday, Nov. 2, announced that Registered Apprenticeship sponsors can start applying for direct payments of up to $6,000 per apprentice through the federal government’s Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program.

The DOL will accept these applications on a rolling basis and distribute payments until all available funds are utilized. To date, the department has invested nearly $200 million for the program. Sponsors may choose to apply toward the most pertinent of six industry-specific apprenticeship incentive funds.

A Registered Apprenticeship is an industry-driven “earn-and-learn” model that combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction. These programs are registered and vetted through the DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship and/or a recognized state apprenticeship agency (e.g., a state Department of Workforce Development).

A Registered Apprenticeship sponsor is an employer, association, labor union or organization that operates and legally administers/manages a Registered Apprenticeship Program. Sponsors may use the obtained funds to train and retain their apprentices.

(Editor’s note: This Workspan Daily article shares guidance resources for the federal Registered Apprenticeship Program.)

Federal Commitment to Grow Apprenticeships

The opening of applications follows the Trump administration’s announcement on Friday, Oct. 30, that the federal government would earmark $40 million to expand Registered Apprenticeships in Florida. That initiative, focused on the shipbuilding and defense industries, is projected to lead to nearly 10,000 new apprentices over the next four years.

The Oct. 30 announcement builds upon the department’s July apprenticeship initiative, which awarded nearly $162 million to five organizations to lead nationwide training programs across various industry sectors, including:

Shipbuilding and the defense industrial base;
Super intelligence, semiconductor and nuclear energy infrastructure;
Telecommunications;
Information technology; and,
Transportation.

The funding aims to help employers hire and retain new apprentices, reduce systemic barriers that limit employer participation and fill in-demand job openings.

“The administration is committed to rapidly expanding Registered Apprenticeships as a core strategy to fill jobs in high-growth, high-demand industries,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “Delivering direct support to employers and other Registered Apprenticeship program sponsors is the fastest way to help skilled Americans enter the workforce while also strengthening our nation’s economy.”

Structurally, the Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program is tied to the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund, a $36 million cooperative agreement established to expand Registered Apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing nationwide.

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