The U.S. Dept. of Labor said $85 million is now available to help states and territories fuel Registered Apprenticeship expansion and advance the Trump administration’s goal of reaching and surpassing 1 million active apprentices nationwide.

The fourth round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants provides direct funding to states and territories based on a new performance-based formula and could be applied to the long-term care space with successful applications.

“This formula rewards states for recent growth in active and new apprentices and encourages strategies that increase employer participation,” the agency said.

To qualify for SAEF grants, eligible states and territories must commit to three core requirements:

• Setting statewide Registered Apprenticeship expansion goals for increasing the total number of active apprentices.

• Reserving a share of funds to directly support employers and Registered Apprentices in state-identified priority industries.

• Demonstrating a commitment to leveraging resources, which may include WIOA Governor’s Reserve Funds, Perkins V Reserve Funds, and other federal or state tax credits or grants, equal to or greater than 50 percent of their formula allocation. 

SAEF funds may also be used to: 

• Hire Registered Apprenticeship navigators.

• Improve alignment between the Registered Apprenticeship, workforce, and education/Career and Technical Education systems.

• Create and implement incentive funding opportunities to grow Registered Apprenticeships, improve registration systems, or develop or modify Registered Apprenticeship-related instruction programs to be eligible for Workforce Pell Grant funding. 

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.