HR-4588-119
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Sponsored by Angie Craig (D-MN)
What it does
This bill would create two federal grant programs administered by the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor. The first program would provide grants of up to $500,000 per institution for outreach to high schools, local businesses, and workforce boards to recruit students into construction and manufacturing registered apprenticeship programs, with priority given to reaching rural, first-generation, minority, and nontraditional students. The second program would provide grants of up to $500,000 per institution for academic advising and student support services — including career counseling, English-language support, childcare, and mental health services — to improve retention and completion rates. Each program would be authorized at $5 million per year from fiscal years 2026 through 2030, for a combined authorization of up to $50 million over five years.
Who benefits
Colleges and community colleges that sponsor accredited, registered apprenticeship programs in construction and manufacturing trades. Students — particularly rural students, first-generation college students, minority students, non-English speakers, and nontraditional students — who would gain access to expanded outreach and support services. Employers in rural, exurban, and suburban areas seeking a trained construction and manufacturing workforce. Workforce development boards and apprenticeship intermediaries that would gain new institutional partners. Trades such as painting, drywall finishing, glazing, and glasswork that face workforce shortages.
Who is hurt
Institutions that offer apprenticeship programs in sectors other than construction and manufacturing (e.g., healthcare, technology, transportation) would be ineligible and may face a relative competitive disadvantage for federal support. Four-year colleges and universities with no apprenticeship programs would not benefit. Taxpayers bear the cost of the $50 million authorization. Institutions that do not meet the accreditation and registration requirements — including some newer or smaller programs — would be excluded from eligibility.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the U.S. faces a significant skilled trades shortage, with the construction industry alone projected to need hundreds of thousands of additional workers annually, and that apprenticeship colleges offer a proven, earn-while-you-learn model that reduces student debt while producing industry-ready graduates. They contend that targeted outreach and wraparound support services are necessary to reach underrepresented populations — including rural students and first-generation college students — who are less likely to enroll without active recruitment and retention assistance, and that the bill's bipartisan sponsorship reflects broad agreement on workforce development as a national priority.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill's narrow eligibility — limited to construction and manufacturing apprenticeship colleges — arbitrarily excludes equally valuable apprenticeship programs in healthcare, information technology, and other growing sectors, creating an uneven federal subsidy without clear justification. They contend that at $5 million per year across the entire country, the funding level is too modest to produce measurable national workforce outcomes, and that the Secretary of Education's broad discretion over application requirements and reporting criteria lacks sufficient congressional specificity, potentially allowing inconsistent or politically influenced grant awards.