Governor Newsom expands apprenticeships and workforce training for more than 60,000 Californians

“Apprenticeships and workforce training are most effective when education, industry, and workforce systems work together to create clear pathways into good jobs,” said California Labor Secretary Stewart Knox. “These investments align with the Governor’s Master Plan on Career Education and California Jobs First by helping ensure more Californians have access to the training they need to succeed in California’s growing industries.”

Expand opportunities for Californians

The Division of Apprenticeship Standards is deploying $18.6 million in California Apprenticeship Council (CAC) Training Fund grants across 160 state-registered apprenticeship programs serving more than 55,000 apprentices in the building and construction trades, including boilermakers, electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters, ironworkers, plasterers, surveyors, sheet metal workers, and HVAC technicians.

The CAC Training Fund has grown from $3 million to $20 million annually, enabling programs to expand training capacity, invest in essential equipment, strengthen recruitment, modernize curriculum, and provide instructor training. Grants reimburse hands-on training costs.

“This investment builds on the state’s long-term commitment to grow apprenticeships, providing earn-and-learn opportunities that lead to good-paying, long-term careers without debt, while strengthening the skilled workforce needed to build and maintain California’s critical infrastructure,” said DIR DAS Chief Adele Burnes.

Building trades apprenticeships continue to provide access to stable employment and family-sustaining careers, with median wages exceeding $70,000 annually.

“Thanks to my apprenticeship through Nor Cal Carpenters and their state-of-the-art training, the skills I’ve learned have made a noticeable difference in my daily work,” said Miguelangel Valdez, Nor Cal Carpenters apprentice.

A full list of CAC awardees is available here.

Training more Californians for the workforce

In parallel, $18.6 million in funding from the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) 2025 awards will provide training for at least 4,600 Californians working in key industries.

Since 2019, HRTP programs have trained 32,000 workers, predominantly individuals facing employment barriers, across sectors such as health care, technology, and manufacturing. The latest awards continue advancing California Jobs First strategic sectors, strengthening regional economies, improving job quality, and supporting climate-resilient industries.

“These investments reflect California’s commitment to connecting workers to good jobs while helping employers build the skilled workforce they need to compete and grow,” said Kaina Pereira, Executive Director of the California Workforce Development Board. “In coordination with the Master Plan for Career Education, we are aligning workforce development with career education to prepare California’s future workforce.”

Projects include:

• $3.5 million for the Miguel Contreras Foundation to expand training and placement of unemployed Opportunity Youth into sustainable healthcare careers

• $3.5 million for the San Bernardino Community College District to expand multi-industry workforce strategies into four new sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean economy adoption and innovation in lithium workforce pathways, and cybersecurity

• $3.5 million for the Empowerment Center to expand its Mental Health Community Health Worker project into a supportive service and training academy prioritizing regions affected by wildfires and floods

A full list of awardees can be found here.

Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Career Education is strengthening California’s skilled workforce by connecting education, training, and employment to help more Californians build on the skills they already have and gain new ones to access good-paying jobs without the burden of taking on debt. Through California Jobs First, the state is aligning workforce investments with regional economic priorities so training programs prepare Californians to work in the industries driving growth throughout the state.

Creating career pathways

Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Career Education is devoted to expanding youth apprenticeships by enhancing career pathways in high school, strengthening workforce training for young people, and bolstering regional partnerships in communities. It also addresses removing barriers for opportunity youth seeking ways to gain skills before having obtained a college degree. 

Apprenticeships are central to the Jobs First Initiative, the state’s strategy to grow industries by leveraging the unique strengths of each region. Apprenticeship programs also align with several of California’s strategic sectors highlighted in the state’s Economic Blueprint including the high-tech, aerospace, healthcare, and education sectors. 

In alignment with Governor Newsom’s plan, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) has expanded apprenticeships and earn‑and‑learn opportunities to provide more Californians with a pathway to a good-paying job. These investments include: