An April 23 executive order from President Donald Trump directs the secretaries of the Labor, Commerce and Education departments to review government workforce development programs and figure out a plan to expand registered apprenticeships to new industries and occupations.

The action will empower workers “to fill good-paying, in-demand jobs,” U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement.

The order gives agency heads 90 days to submit a report to the White House focused on improving the efficiency of existing workforce and education programs, or redirecting their funding to address needed skill development more broadly. It also gives agency heads 120 days to submit a plan to surpass 1 million new active apprentices.

That would be a steep increase from the approximately 678,000 active apprentices participating in registered programs across the U.S. as of Jan. 31, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. While that number was down slightly from 2024, the number of apprentices has otherwise grown each year since 2015, when there were close to 360,000 apprentices.

The order itself alludes to Trump administration policies aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and artificial intelligence and came the same day as other orders related to AI and higher education—but it does not mention construction even as the industry accounts for the largest share of active apprentices, with more than 243,000, according to the Employment and Training Administration. Industry groups shared optimism that the order could help address shortages for skilled labor in construction.

“It’s always positive seeing the White House and others talking about the importance of skilled trade positions,” says Jim Young, senior director of congressional relations for labor, HR and safety at the Associated General Contractors of America. Michael Bellaman, president and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors, said in a statement that apprenticeships are part of the all-of-the-above approach needed in workforce development to address chronic labor shortages. “Expanding apprenticeship opportunities across high-demand industries, especially construction, is commendable because it equips our workers with durable and transferable skill sets that fuel America’s economic engine,” he said.

It’s also not clear from the language of the order whether new or updated programs would focus on union or non-union apprenticeships, or a mix of both.

Of registered apprentices in construction, more than 166,000 are in union programs, compared to about 75,000 in non-union programs, according to the Employment and Training Administration, although non-union apprenticeships outpace union ones in other fields.

Young notes the language of the new order appears to follow a different model than efforts to encourage apprenticeships during the first Trump administration. Either way, AGC aims to offer suggestions to officials as they fulfill the executive order. “This is the Trump administration talking about strengthening the registered apprenticeship model,” he says. “Some might read that as strengthening the union registered apprenticeship model. I think it’s too early to tell what the administration is doing and where they’ll land on this.”

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich)., chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, praised Trump’s order in a statement, saying it would "expand opportunities for young Americans to get into well-paying jobs." He also criticized the Biden administration for favoring union apprenticeships over others, possibly offering a look into the thinking behind the directive.

Happy to see this unleash American labor.