American Apprenticeship Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The American Apprenticeship Act is aimed at industries and occupations where apprenticeship programs are scarce. It defines a qualified apprenticeship as a registered program under the National Apprenticeship Act and focuses on industries or occupations that represent less than 10 percent of apprenticeable occupations or programs. It also defines qualifying pre-apprenticeship partnerships that prepare workers for registered apprenticeships. The Labor Secretary must identify nationally or regionally in-demand occupations that lack enough apprenticeship programs, analyze where the apprenticeship model is underused, report findings to states and Congress, and administer authorized funding of $15 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
Who Benefits and How
Prospective apprentices benefit from more training pathways in occupations that currently lack registered apprenticeship options. Employers in in-demand occupations benefit from federal attention and funding to build work-based training pipelines. Pre-apprenticeship providers benefit if their partnerships qualify as feeders into registered apprenticeship programs. State workforce agencies benefit from federal reports identifying occupational gaps and regional apprenticeship needs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Labor must identify shortage occupations, analyze underuse of apprenticeships, and report to Congress and states. Grant recipients must meet registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship partnership requirements. Federal taxpayers bear up to $15 million per year in authorized spending. Training providers that do not align with registered apprenticeship standards may lose ground to qualifying programs.
Key Provisions
- Defines qualified apprenticeships and qualifying pre-apprenticeship partnerships.
- Requires the Labor Secretary to identify in-demand occupations lacking apprenticeship programs.
- Requires reports to states and Congress on occupational apprenticeship gaps.
- Authorizes $15 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Directs the Labor Secretary to identify in-demand occupations lacking registered apprenticeships, report the gaps to states and Congress, and authorizes $15 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to support qualified apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship expansion.
Key Policy Areas
Workforce, Apprenticeships, Labor
Primary Purpose
Directs the Labor Secretary to identify in-demand occupations lacking registered apprenticeships, report the gaps to states and Congress, and authorizes $15 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to support qualified apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship expansion.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Prospective apprentices
- Employers in in-demand occupations
- Pre-apprenticeship providers
- State workforce agencies
Identified Costs
- Department of Labor
- Grant recipients
- Federal taxpayers
- Nonqualifying training providers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. DeLauro introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Employers in in-demand occupations, Prospective apprentices
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology