SPECIAL EDITION - FEBRUARY
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Apprenticeship (OA) is excited to share significant announcements about a new funding opportunity and National Apprenticeship Week 2026. Read on to learn about these latest steps we’re taking in support of the Administration’s goal of reaching and surpassing 1 million active apprentices.
On February 13, DOL announced a Funding Opportunity of up to $145 million for organizations interested in administering its Pay-for-Performance (PfP) Incentive Payments Program to further expand the National Apprenticeship System.
Through this initiative, the Department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will award up to five cooperative agreements to organizations for a four-year period of performance focusing on the expansion of newly developed Registered Apprenticeships, as well as the growth of existing programs across industries. The program will also place an emphasis on incentivizing industries with a well-established Registered Apprenticeship program infrastructure.
The Department plans to award these cooperative agreements focused on Registered Apprenticeship expansion in industries including shipbuilding and defense industrial base; artificial intelligence, semiconductor, and nuclear energy infrastructure; information technology; healthcare; transportation; and telecommunications.
Grant applications are due by April 3, 2026. Learn more about the PfP Incentive Payments Program Funding Opportunity at the websites noted below.
Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Announcement Link
Click HERE for Funding Opportunity information on Apprenticeship.gov.
JOIN US FOR THE NAW 2026 PUBLIC WEBINAR
This year is the 12th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which will take place from April 26 – May 2. Excited about NAW 2026 but not sure where to start? Join us for our NAW 2026 Public Webinar scheduled for FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2026 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm EST.
At this virtual event, DOL will share everything you need to know about daily themes, how to submit your events and proclamations for the NAW webpage, helpful resources for planning and promoting your events, information on how to participate in events located near you or online, and more. During the webinar, attendees will be able to hear about NAW event and activity ideas from other apprenticeship system partners.
Click HERE to register and get the complete webinar details.
START YOUR PLANNING FOR NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK 2026
NAW 2026 will include apprenticeship events across the country reflecting the theme, “America at Work: Making America Skilled Again Through Registered Apprenticeship,” and advance the Trump Administration’s commitment to strengthening Registered Apprenticeships as the premier, high-quality solution to boost America’s skills development pipeline. As the nation celebrates its 250th year and continues its reindustrialization, the theme reflects Registered Apprenticeship’s prominence as a key strategy to ensure the American worker is equipped for the skilled jobs of today and tomorrow. Please visit our NAW Resources web page for a host of tools you can use to prepare for #NAW2026.
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