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Rep. Craig Reintroduces Bill to Support Career Technical Education, Increase Enrollment in Registered Apprenticeship Programs

July 22, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) reintroduced her bipartisan Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act with Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) to help increase enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs.

Craig’s bipartisan legislation would provide grant funding to apprenticeship colleges to expand outreach to potential students and employers, improve academic advising programs and address common barriers to degree completion, like child care access. The bill would also provide support for first-generation students.

“Apprenticeship colleges provide Minnesotans with the skills they need to land good-paying jobs in the trades, and we've got to make sure every Minnesotan has the resources to access and complete these life-changing apprenticeship programs,” said Rep. Craig. “Our state is strong when our workforce is strong, and that’s why I’m working across the aisle to strengthen the middle class and give more students and employers the hands-on support they need.”

“I have seen firsthand how earn-as-you-learn registered apprenticeship programs help train the next generation of builders, welder, and machinists,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “This bipartisan bill will strengthen our workforce by investing in these institutions, getting more of our students involved. I want to thank Rep. Craig for working with me on this commonsense legislation to better reach our students ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

The Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act is endorsed by the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Steve Daines (R-MT) are leading companion legislation in the Senate. 

“Registered apprenticeship programs, like ours, have always been an important step on the path to the middle class and to learning life changing skills,” said IUPAT General President Jim Williams, Jr. “Providing a way to be able to achieve both a skilled trade and an Associate’s Degree benefits workers and communities as a whole. It's why we are so happy to see the reintroduction of the Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act and I look forward to this bill advancing through Congress with strong bi-partisan support.”

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Issues:Education