S-2028-119
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsored by Tina Smith (D-MN)
What it does
This bill would authorize two federal grant programs, each funded at up to $5 million per year from fiscal years 2026 through 2030, administered by the Secretary of Education in consultation with the Secretary of Labor. The first program would fund outreach by eligible colleges to high schools, local businesses, and workforce boards to recruit students and employers into construction and manufacturing registered apprenticeship programs, with priority given to reaching rural, first-generation, minority, and nontraditional students. The second program would fund academic advising and student support services — including career counseling, English-language support, childcare, and mental health services — to improve retention and completion rates among enrolled apprenticeship students.
Who benefits
Colleges that sponsor accredited construction and manufacturing apprenticeship programs, which would receive up to $500,000 per grant (and potentially one grant from each program). Current and prospective apprenticeship students — especially rural students, first-generation college students, non-English speakers, students with children, and other nontraditional students — who would gain access to expanded outreach and support services. Construction and manufacturing employers in rural, exurban, and suburban areas who would gain a larger pipeline of credentialed workers. Workforce development boards and apprenticeship intermediaries that would receive relationship-building support. Workers in trades such as painting, drywall finishing, glazing, and glasswork who may benefit from a more robust credentialing pathway.
Who is hurt
Traditional four-year colleges and community colleges that do not sponsor registered apprenticeship programs would not be eligible for these grants, potentially widening a funding gap between apprenticeship-focused and conventional institutions. Competing workforce training providers — such as private trade schools or non-registered apprenticeship programs — that do not meet the bill's eligibility criteria would be excluded. Taxpayers broadly bear the cost of the authorization, estimated at up to $50 million over five years if fully appropriated. Students in sectors outside construction and manufacturing (e.g., healthcare, technology, or service trades) would not benefit from these specific programs.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the U.S. faces a well-documented skilled trades shortage, with the construction industry alone projected to need hundreds of thousands of additional workers annually, and that registered apprenticeships produce workers with both credentials and employer-ready skills. They contend that the bill's targeted outreach to rural and underrepresented populations addresses a documented gap — women and minorities remain significantly underrepresented in construction apprenticeships — while the student support services directly tackle the retention and completion barriers that cause many apprenticeship students to drop out before earning credentials.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill creates a narrow, sector-specific federal grant program that duplicates existing workforce development funding streams — including those under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act — without demonstrating why a new, parallel program is more effective than strengthening existing ones. They contend that capping eligibility to accredited institutions sponsoring registered apprenticeships excludes many effective trade training programs and that the $50 million authorization, spread across a small number of eligible colleges, may produce limited measurable workforce impact relative to broader investments in career and technical education.