The US Department of Labor has announced the availability of almost $200 million in grants to support public-private partnerships that “expand, diversify and strengthen” registered apprenticeships in nursing, mental health, hospitality and other high-demand fields.
The funding includes $95 million of grants through a second round of the Apprenticeship Building America Grant program and $100 million in a second round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants.
“The second round of Apprenticeship Building America funding announced today continues the Department of Labor’s commitment to providing all of America’s workers with access to training and career preparation that leads to good jobs with family-sustaining wages,” Acting US Secretary of Labor Julie Su said Wednesday in a statement.
The DOL’s Employment and Training Administration will prioritize projects that support the Investing in America agenda — including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — by expanding access to registered apprenticeships in high-demand sectors and occupations, including the care economy (nursing, mental health and early child care occupations), hospitality, information technology/cybersecurity, kindergarten through 12th grade teacher occupations, clean energy, the public sector, and the supply chain (logistics, warehousing, transportation and manufacturing).
The Apprenticeship Building America Grant program seeks to leverage registered apprenticeships as a workforce solution while ensuring that people from underrepresented and underserved communities can access high-quality training and pre-apprenticeships that lead directly to enrollment in a registered apprenticeship program.
The department said that it will award 12 to 25 grants, ranging from $1 million to $8 million. Successful applicants will integrate strategies that align with the administration’s priorities for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and expand the availability of jobs that support the High Road to the Middle Class model for all workers.
More information, including how to apply, for the second round of the Apprenticeship Building American grants is online here. Applications must be submitted by April 15.
Additional information about the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants is available online here. Applications must be submitted by April 4.
