JANUARY 2026
As we begin 2026 - the year of the official celebration of America’s 250th birthday - the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) can look back on 2025 as a year filled with accomplishments and expansion. In this issue of our newsletter, we will reflect on the most significant developments that occurred during 2025, while also sharing updates on several initiatives that will roll out during this new year. Collectively, the work of National Apprenticeship System partners will continue to ensure that the Registered Apprenticeship model is being utilized as a means to support robust economic growth.
With the rapid advancement and evolution of technology, the demand for Registered Apprenticeship has grown exponentially across multiple critical industries. For that reason, Registered Apprenticeship is not only a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) priority, but an Administration-wide priority as evidenced in multiple Executive Orders issued during 2025. These Executive Orders contain policy directives to enable exponential growth of the National Apprenticeship System over the coming years. For example, Executive Order 14278 - Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future includes an Administration goal to reach and surpass 1 million active apprentices. It also affirms that this Administration will “protect and strengthen Registered Apprenticeships and build on their successes to seize new opportunities and unlock the limitless potential of the American worker.” Other Executive Orders that mention Registered Apprenticeship as a key workforce strategy include:
In August 2025, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education published a milestone report, America’s Talent Strategy: Equipping American Workers for the Golden Age, which presents a bold vision and concrete actions to transform the federal government’s approach to workforce development. This Administration has set a bold economic strategy to reindustrialize America, dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) frontier, and reclaim control over the levers of national prosperity.
Consisting of five strategic pillars, the strategy outlines how the Administration has been and will continue taking innovative actions to empower more Americans to access good-paying jobs, build pipelines of skilled talent for critical industries, prepare the workforce system for an AI-driven economy, and position the U.S. as the dominant global economic leader. Registered Apprenticeship programs are a vital component of the first of these pillars - Industry-Driven Strategies.
According to the report, this pillar of the vision will be achieved by scaling Registered Apprenticeships, aligning education and training programs to career pathways, and targeting federal investments toward employer-led upskilling initiatives designed to fill talent shortages in priority industries.
DOL PUBLISHES FORECAST NOTICE FOR NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
This month, DOL issued a press release announcing a forecast notice for a new funding opportunity that will become available in early 2026. This new initiative, the Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program, will focus on incentivizing the expansion and growth of the National Apprenticeship System, specifically in industries with a firmly established program infrastructure that will make a significant contribution to the Administration’s goal of exceeding 1 million active apprentices.
The Department plans to award cooperative agreements with a four-year period of performance (PoP) focused on rapidly scaling and expanding newly developed Registered Apprenticeship programs and substantially growing existing programs across industries by offering incentive payments to program sponsors. The Department will award up to five cooperative agreements with a focus on rapid expansion of Registered Apprenticeships in targeted industries by offering incentive payments to program sponsors on a per apprentice basis for all new apprentices enrolled during the term of the cooperative agreement.
For additional information, please click HERE to be directed to the Cooperative Agreement Forecast Notice.
AMERICAN MANUFACTURING APPRENTICESHIP INCENTIVE FUND
At the end of December 2025, DOL announced the launch of the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund, a $35.8 million initiative aimed at expanding high-quality Registered Apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing across the country. This DOL cooperative agreement award is spearheaded by the Arkansas Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Services, and is designed to stimulate nation-wide Registered Apprenticeship adoption by providing incentive funding for manufacturers of all sizes to build and expand apprenticeship pipelines. Click HERE for more information about the Incentive Fund.
GET READY FOR NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK 2026!
OA is already planning for this year’s celebration to keep the momentum going for Registered Apprenticeship. We hope you will join us to celebrate the 12th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2026, taking place April 26 – May 2, 2026, the first week-long, Spring NAW. Get ready for the biggest NAW yet! Start adding your events and proclamations now.
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DOL PUBLISHES ITS NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP DAY 2025 REPORT
DOL's Office of Apprenticeship would like to thank everyone who hosted or participated in an event, issued a proclamation, or helped spread the word for National Apprenticeship Day 2025, which took place on April 30th of last year. There were over 1,080 apprenticeship events and proclamations across the country! Many thanks to those of you who hosted events and shared pictures and event highlights. Check out the report for ideas on planning your NAW 2026 event. We encourage you to share the report broadly with your networks.
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CONSIDER SIGNING THE AI EDUCATION PLEDGE TO AMERICA'S YOUTH
As part of the work associated with Executive Order 14277 - Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth, which seeks to “increase participation in AI Related occupations,” the White House launched a special initiative - the "Pledge to America's Youth: Investing in AI Education." At the launch event, over 60 organizations were the first signers of the pledge.
Signers “pledge to make available resources for youth and teachers through funding and grants, educational materials and curricula, technology and tools, teacher professional development programs, workforce development resources, and/or technical expertise and mentorship.” DOL encourages apprenticeship system stakeholders to consider signing this pledge and joining the 200 organizations that have committed to date. Click HERE to learn more about this initiative and sign the pledge.
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DOL UNVEILS NEW VETERANS ACCOMMODATIONS TOOLKIT
On July 17th, 2025, DOL announced the launch of the Veterans Accommodations Toolkit, which aims to increase employment rates and participation in apprenticeship programs for disabled American veterans. Developed by the Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and the Office of Disability Employment Policy, the Veterans Accommodations Toolkit offers tips and strategies on ways to enhance workplace supports and accommodations designed to facilitate the recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of disabled American veterans in apprenticeship and other employment settings. The toolkit includes resources that not only help disabled veterans, but also benefit employers, apprenticeship sponsors, and workforce development specialists.
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In August 2025, DOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer attended the very first graduation ceremony for Registered Apprenticeships with Micron Technology. Six individuals completed their apprenticeships for the occupation of Industrial Manufacturing Technician. While speaking to attendees, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer noted that, “It’s been my mission to keep talking about Registered Apprenticeships and keep expanding them into the new and high demand industries.” Micron also welcomed 22 new Registered Apprentices into the second cohort of the program. Micron is a participating employer in the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance's program, which was originally approved in September 2020.
TEACHER APPRENTICESHIPS: A 2025 WORKFORCE MILESTONE
In alignment with Executive Order 14203, Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future, DOL continues to advance Registered Apprenticeship programs in education, backed by over $151 million in active investments. As of December 2025, over 3,150 new apprentices have enrolled in K-12 education roles—a 16% increase over FY24—and now comprise 55% of the 5,700+ currently active apprentices in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A leading example: Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship, which expanded in 2025 with the launch of the Principal Registered Apprenticeship Program (PRAP). The initiative has produced 300+ licensed, classroom-ready educators with retention rates exceeding 85%.
These programs are practical, scalable, and results-driven—delivering real skills for real jobs while strengthening school systems across the country.
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