# Plain Language Summary: Expanding Opportunity through Pre-Apprenticeships Act

This bill creates a new pathway for people who want to enter skilled trades but don't yet meet the requirements to start a full apprenticeship. Think of pre-apprenticeships as a bridge program—they help people get the basic skills, knowledge, and experience they need to succeed in a real apprenticeship. The bill sets national standards for what these programs should look like and provides federal funding to help create and expand them.

Pre-apprenticeships would work by partnering with actual employers and industry groups to teach people real job skills in a hands-on way. For example, someone interested in becoming an electrician but lacking the foundational knowledge could attend a pre-apprenticeship program that teaches basic electrical concepts and safety while working alongside experienced professionals. The program would help participants earn a high school diploma or equivalent if needed, get recognized credentials, and then transition directly into a paid apprenticeship where they continue learning while earning money. Programs must provide support services like help with transportation, childcare, food, housing, and mental health services—recognizing that financial barriers often prevent people from pursuing training.

The bill specifically aims to help people who have historically been underrepresented in apprenticeships, including women, people of color, veterans, young people, those with criminal records, and people with disabilities. Federal grants would go to community organizations, employers, and training programs that focus on reaching these populations. At least five percent of grant money must go directly to participants to cover their living expenses while they train. The Department of Labor would track how well these programs work and study ways to expand them further, ensuring that apprenticeships become more accessible to everyone, not just a select few.

Expanding Opportunity through Pre-Apprenticeships Act

Cárdenas, Tony

Expanding Opportunity through Pre-Apprenticeships Act This bill requires the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) within the Department of Labor to create a plan to expand participation in pre-apprenticeship programs for underrepresented populations and individuals with barriers to employment, and requires Labor to award related grants to certain eligible entities (e.g., community-based organizations, pre-apprenticeship sponsors, and employers for an in-demand industry or occupation). Specifically, the bill <ul type="disc"> <li>establishes pre-apprenticeship program standards and requirements;</li> <li>directs Labor to collect data on pre-apprenticeship programs, using workforce innovation and opportunity indicators of performance, on how programs resources are spent, and on the diversity and equal opportunity in apprenticeship programs;</li> <li>directs the OA in partnership with state apprenticeship agencies to conduct research in state labor markets and create a plan to expand participation in registered pre-apprenticeship programs for nontraditional populations or individuals with barriers to employment such as youth, women, people of color, long-term unemployed, individuals with disabilities, individuals with substance abuse issues, individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, and veterans; and</li> <li>provides grants to serve participants from nontraditional apprenticeship populations with preference to women, people of color, veterans, those who have been impacted by the youth or adult criminal justice system, and individuals with barriers to employment between the ages of 16 and 24.</li> </ul>