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Apprenticeships are considered the “gold standard” worldwide for training manufacturing workers. Yet efforts to expand this opportunity have long stagnated in the United States.
In an effort to promote manufacturing apprenticeships, the U.S. Department of Labor recently issued updated guidance on registering new programs that aims to “accelerate growth, reduce burdens, and improve transparency.” Change includes cutting caps on previous work or 12-month on-the-job learning requirements, among others.
The guidance follows the recent announcement of a $35.8 million incentive fund, managed by the Arkansas Department of Commerce, that promises sponsors a sum of $3,500 for every new advanced manufacturing apprentice hired who passes a 90-day probationary period. The state agency said it was chosen to administer the fund due to a recognized ability to “modernize apprenticeship systems.”
These moves are meant to answer President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order for a plan to help the U.S. “reach and surpass 1 million new active apprentices.”
