Trump administration excludes construction from new apprenticeship rules meant to help fill millions of openings

The Trump administration unveiled a new category of federally sponsored apprenticeship programs for all industries except construction, which was instead specifically limited to the existing apprenticeship program model.

The new Labor Department rule creates “industry-recognized apprenticeship programs” that can be developed and run by private entities and are intended to help address the millions of job openings in skilled trades that businesses are struggling to fill. The programs will be a separate category from the existing “registered apprenticeship” programs funded by the government, which are largely run by state agencies.