Department of Labor
Equips Workers with Skills They Need to Obtain High-Quality Jobs.
The Budget invests in effective, evidence-based training models to equip workers with the skills they need to obtain high-quality jobs. Community colleges play a critical role in providing accessible, low-cost, and high-quality training, and the Budget invests $100 million to build their capacity to work with the public workforce development system and employers to design and deliver high-quality workforce programs. The Budget also provides $100 million for a new Sectoral employment through Career Training for Occupational Readiness program, which would support training programs focused on growing industries, enabling underserved and underrepresented workers to access good jobs and creating the skilled workforce the economy needs to thrive. [Pictured: Martina Allen, an apprentice at Ford’s Technical Training Center, mills a hole as part of her hands-on training.]
Expands Access to Registered Apprenticeships (RA).
RA is a proven earn-and-learn model that raises participants’ wages and places them on a reliable path to the middle class. The Budget invests $303 million, a $118 million increase above the 2021 enacted level, to expand RA opportunities in high-growth fields, such as technology, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation, while increasing access for historically underrepresented groups, including people of color and women, and diversifying the industry sectors involved. To improve access to RAs for women, the Budget doubles DOL’s investment in its Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants, which provide pre-apprenticeship opportunities to boost women’s participation in RA.
Provides Training and Employment Pathways for Youth.
The Budget invests in programs that provide youth with equitable access to high-quality training and career opportunities. The Budget invests $75 million for a new National Youth employment Program, which would create high-quality summer and year-round job opportunities for underserved youth. The Budget also provides $145 million for YouthBuild, $48 million above the 2021 enacted level, to enable more at-risk youth to gain both the education and occupational skills they need to obtain good jobs. To further advance equity and inclusion, the Budget provides $15 million to test new ways to enable low-income youth with disabilities, including youth who are in foster care, involved in the justice system, or who are experiencing homelessness, to successfully transition to employment.
