US Department of Labor announces $31M funding opportunity to create Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence

WASHINGTON, DC– The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the availability of approximately $31 million in funds to establish Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence to support the expansion and modernization of technical assistance available in the registered apprenticeship system. The department’s Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship will work in close coordination with the centers.

Registered Apprenticeships are proven, industry-driven, high-quality career pathways – U.S. Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency – where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and workers can obtain paid work experience, related instruction and a portable industry-recognized credential. RAPs exist in a number of industries – including construction, energy, health care, information technology, financial services and advanced manufacturing – and have strong retention rates. Ninety-three percent of apprentices who complete a RAP retain employment, with an average annual salary of $70,000. 

“The funding opportunity announced today will help provide the technical assistance and expertise needed as we expand and modernize America’s Registered Apprenticeship Programs,” said Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Labor Patricia Smith. “These Centers of Excellence will help increase opportunities for all of America’s workers to pursue Registered Apprenticeships.”

These technical assistance centers build on the Executive Order signed by President Biden on strengthening Registered Apprenticeship, and will assist the department in expanding and modernizing Registered Apprenticeship and making them available to all Americans. The centers are designated entities that provide technical expertise and service to Registered Apprenticeship stakeholders and customers on a national scale. They also increase the effective use of federal funding appropriated to expand and diversify RAPs. To support the expansion, the department will establish Centers of Excellence through cooperative agreements to provide technical assistance in the following areas:

• Diversity and Inclusion Center
• Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment Center
• Apprenticeships Occupations and Standards Center
• Data and Performance and Best Practices Center

“Registered Apprenticeship is already one of our premier employment-based career development programs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Suzi LeVine. “However, there is still not enough diversity among registered apprentices and we need to do more to make sure that the nation’s apprentices truly reflect the communities in which they work and that they engage.”

These centers will collaborate with State Apprenticeship Agencies and department-funded registered apprenticeship investments to build on and expand existing apprenticeship efforts already in place.  

Eligible applicants include national organizations or organizations with a national reach and vary by individual Center of Excellence. Applicants should refer to the Funding Opportunity Announcement for required activities for each Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers of Excellence, eligibility requirements and funding ranges for each center. Read more about the department’s broader efforts to connect career seekers with apprenticeship opportunities and expand apprenticeship into new sectors and industries.