The Apprenticeship Renaissance: How Governors Are Reimagining Workforce Development

The workforce development landscape in the United States is experiencing an apprenticeship renaissance, with governors across political lines championing structured programs as vital education-to-employment pathways. Apprenticeship has emerged as a prominent theme in this year's State of the State addresses. Governors outlined innovative apprenticeship pathways and strategies beyond traditional four-year degree pathways. Several governors have endorsed these programs and set ambitious, measurable goals for their expansion.

In his State of the State address in February, for example, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a long-time apprenticeship advocate, reaffirmed his commitment to apprenticeship as a valuable workforce pathway, maintaining his goal to recruit five new public agencies, 500 new employers, and 5,000 new apprentices to build Maryland’s workforce through Registered Apprenticeship Programs. On April 8, Governor Moore signed the Registered Apprenticeship Investments for a Stronger Economy (RAISE) Act to offset employer costs for hiring and training, invest in intermediaries, adjust journeyworker-to-apprentice ratios, establish the Maryland Office of Registered Apprenticeship Development (MORAD), and create an advisory board to guide the MORAD. These efforts will support Governor Moore’s “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” and its goal of having 45 percent of high school graduates earn an industry-recognized credential or the high school level of a Registered Apprenticeship by the 2030-31 school year.

Similar to Maryland's approach, Rhode Island is channeling significant investment into apprenticeship initiatives. Starting when he took office in 2021, Governor Dan McKee began a mission to build Rhode Island’s apprenticeship workforce. That same year, he signed college credit awards for apprenticeship on-the-job training into law. Governor McKee spent 2024 and the beginning of 2025 investing millions of dollars into the community college system to support his new workforce strategy. Through these strategic investments and policy reforms, Rhode Island is creating a comprehensive apprenticeship ecosystem that integrates academic credentials with on-the-job learning experiences. In his State of the State address, Governor McKee proposed a new "Ready to Build" Program, which would establish a strategic partnership with the Community Colleges of Rhode Island to create pre-apprenticeship pathways specifically targeting the building trades. Following up on the Governor’s address, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Director Matthew Weldon and the Office of Postsecondary Education Commissioner Shannon Gilkey formed “Rhode to Prosperity,” an initiative that focuses on increasing Rhode Islanders’ incomes by modernizing the state’s job training pathways, specifically moving toward experiential learning. Governor McKee proposed a $2.3 million investment in Real Jobs Rhode Island, an employer-led workforce development partnership, to align the initiative with the Rhode to Prosperity plan.

Further south in North Carolina, Governor Josh Stein pledged to double the apprentice population over the next four years by putting together a Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships aimed at uniting the community college system, K-12 schools, and employers to expand access for young people to achieve “good jobs with good wages.” Governor Stein pointed to the state's success with apprenticeship, highlighting examples from Surry Community College’s certified nursing assistant program. Shortly after delivering his State of the State Address, Governor Stein released a budget proposal that invests $256 million in workforce development and community college tuition relief for students pursuing credentials in high-demand sectors, followed by an executive order officially establishing the Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships shortly after.

As apprenticeship gains momentum, governors are implementing complementary workforce strategies to strengthen education-to-employment pathways. In Missouri, Governor Kehoe invested $15 million in career and technical centers for equipment, space, and operational needs. Meanwhile, Connecticut's Governor Lamont pledged tuition-free community colleges, emphasizing dual enrollment and stackable credentials, key infrastructure for stronger alignment between education and apprenticeship systems.

The emphasis on apprenticeship and complementary strategies in gubernatorial addresses signals a paradigm shift in career preparation. Governors are focused on providing high-quality career pathways and are moving toward this goal with a variety of approaches. This diversity of approaches will allow policymakers and practitioners alike to understand what works in different contexts to address immediate and long-term economic and labor market demands.