Former Oregon Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer became a member of President Trump’s cabinet with her confirmation last month as labor secretary. As much as the early weeks of the second Trump administration have been defined by chaos and uncertainty, a few things were clear from Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation process, including—notably—her interest in continuing to support and expand apprenticeship programs throughout the U.S.
The timing couldn’t be better. Businesses are in search of talent, trust in college is continuing to sink, and momentum is growing for apprenticeships as a faster and more affordable way to help Americans access in-demand jobs. The model is growing not just in fields like construction and skilled trades that have historically been associated with apprenticeship, but also in fast-growing industries like tech, healthcare, and manufacturing.
But as with any policy promise, expanding apprenticeships is easier said than done. What should an effective approach actually look like? Here are three recommendations for the new secretary to make good on her promise of making apprenticeships the cornerstone of a stronger American labor market.
Reward Success
The U.S. apprenticeship system lags far behind other developed economies like the U.K., France, and Switzerland, where apprentices make up a significantly higher percentage of the workforce. One of the big reasons why? Pay-for-success. Secretary Chavez-DeRemer should continue to expand programs that reward apprenticeships that work, by providing companies or other apprenticeship providers with funding or tax incentives for each apprentice they hire, train, or retain. The Labor Department’s recent encouragement to states for use this funding approach is an important start—and a signal that they may continue to support this model in the new administration.
Make Launching Apprenticeships Easier
Registering an apprenticeship program can make it eligible for federal and state funding and other support. But the registration process should be less onerous. States like Florida and Kansas, which have reduced the time for approval of apprenticeship registrations, show this can be done. But a fragmented system that spans both the federal government and state apprenticeship agencies, while featuring a cumbersome and paperwork-intensive process, often deters companies from even trying to register apprenticeships in the first place. In a cabinet where government efficiency is a top stated priority, the new secretary has an opportunity to streamline registration dramatically by creating national apprenticeship standards that give companies both greater clarity and a smoother path to creating programs and encouraging states to streamline their apprenticeship approval systems.
Help States That Are Doing It Right
The federal government, of course, doesn’t have to go it alone. States on both sides of the aisle are demonstrating what a better approach to apprenticeships can look like, from California’s first-of-its-kind Apprenticeship Innovation Fund (a pay-for-success model) to Indiana, which has set an ambitious goal for expanding youth apprenticeship. The Department of Labor should support efforts in the states to innovate and modernize the administration and management of apprenticeship, while also helping to connect states with good ideas and sharing best practices to enable the model to keep expanding.
There’s no way to know exactly what this administration will want to focus on in the next few weeks, much less the next four years. But if Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s hearings are any indication, she intends to use the tools at her disposal to make apprenticeships a mainstream pathway to good-paying jobs in a wide range of industries. Four years from now, if she pursues these recommendations, we’ll have the Department of Labor to thank for fulfilling the promise of apprenticeship and taking a leadership role in building a more resilient economy.
John Colborn is executive director of Apprenticeships for America.