On April 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at overhauling federal workforce development efforts.

The order directs the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Commerce to review and modernize federal workforce programs, focusing on administrative reforms to improve participant experiences and aligning programs with the needs of emerging industries. The agencies are directed to develop a comprehensive workforce strategy to achieve these goals within 90 days.

The executive order also includes a goal of supporting over 1 million government apprenticeships annually by expanding apprenticeships to new industries, improving efficiency and enhancing connections between registered apprenticeships and the education system. The agencies are directed to submit a plan to do so within 120 days.

The initiative seeks to address labor shortages, specifically citing a 447,000-person workforce shortage in construction.

ABC and contractor members continue to take a leading role in upskilling the construction workforce, with chapters offering over 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs and members investing $1.6 billion in workforce training through an all-of-the-above approach.

For more information, see the fact sheet.