The Apprentice President, Missing on Apprenticeships
When President Trump pledged to create one million apprentices, it signaled a serious commitment to America’s workers. After years of steady growth to roughly 700,000 apprentices nationwide, progress has slowed to a crawl—and the issue has faded from the national conversation, even during National Apprenticeship Week.
For an administration that campaigned on economic populism, apprenticeships are a natural platform for advancing economic opportunity and national competitiveness. The President’s goal should be a galvanizing force for focusing resources and organizing action across departments.
The first year of work on the goal shows some promise. Funding innovations and streamlined administrative mechanisms are helpful blocking and tackling. Indeed, Apprenticeships for America just released its report card on the Trump administration’s stewardship of the National Apprenticeship System and rated its early work a B-plus. But the promise is so much more.
Apprenticeships don’t grow quietly; they require presidential leadership. That means using the bully pulpit to drive funding and signal to business that this is a national priority. Expanding apprenticeships has long been a bipartisan priority, embraced by both Republican and Democratic administrations. President Obama used the State of the Union —twice—to call for expanding apprenticeships. Today, they don’t even merit a mention, and there’s very little coming out of the White House on how workers can get ahead in an economy shaped by inflation and AI. It’s a striking omission for a president whose rise to fame came from a show literally called “The Apprentice.”
Having worked on apprenticeships at USDOL over three administrations, I’ve seen how presidential leadership can elevate them from a niche program to a national priority. In practice, that means using every lever: directing H-1B visa fees to invest in apprenticeships, creating public moments like National Apprenticeship Week, elevating business champions, and convening agencies across government to expand the system. Staff engaged directly with industry—not from behind desks—to build real momentum. The result wasn’t just rhetoric, but lasting infrastructure to support growth.
In sectors critical to national security—from shipbuilding to semiconductors—the US is not constrained by demand, but by a shortage of skilled workers. Presidential leadership matters because Registered Apprenticeships are one of the most effective tools to connect workers to good jobs, especially in critical sectors of the economy.
Apprenticeships allow workers to earn while they learn, and employers to build talent to meet real-time needs. Unlike college students taking on debt, apprentices are paid through their sweat, and the average graduate earns about $80,000 annually—exceeding entry-level bachelor’s degree wages. Employers benefit too, with strong returns on investment and high worker retention.
Uncertainty now hangs over the Department of Labor, which oversees apprenticeships, following the departure of Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer—a leading Republican champion. Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling is now in charge. He has spoken favorably about apprenticeships, and the coming months will be an important test of whether the Department keeps apprenticeships central to its strategy.
The Trump White House should treat apprenticeships as a core working-class economic strategy, especially as its poll numbers sour on jobs and the economy. Reaching one million apprentices will require bold funding that starts with a “B” – to offset employer costs, expand intermediaries, and scale proven programs.
Just as important, the administration should listen to employers, industry, and unions to scale apprenticeships. The best ideas won’t come from inside government, and there is far more growth to unlock.
The administration should leave behind the DOGE-era cuts to apprenticeship staff, contracts, and grants—and chart a new course. The Trump administration can still reach one million apprentices, but only with real leadership.
