The Apprenticeship Pathways Act of 2025 creates a new federal program to help high school students get into apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships in skilled trades and other high-demand fields. The Department of Labor will contract with industry intermediaries—organizations that connect businesses with schools and workforce agencies—to develop apprenticeship programs and recruit secondary school students into them. These intermediaries will focus on reaching students who need it most: those from low-income schools, rural areas, high-poverty neighborhoods, disconnected youth ages 16-24, Native American students, people with disabilities, and women interested in building trades and technology. The program covers a wide range of occupations including construction trades (carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical work), healthcare (nursing, emergency medical technicians, pharmacy technicians), technology (computer science, data science, telecommunications), teaching, and manufacturing. Intermediaries can use federal funds to develop apprenticeship programs, recruit and train applicants, provide wraparound support services like tutoring and childcare assistance, cover costs for tools and equipment, and even pay up to 50 percent of an apprentice's wages during their apprenticeship. This essentially creates a pathway for teenagers to earn while they learn a skilled trade, potentially avoiding student debt while gaining valuable job experience.