Punching In: DOL Sends Training Money to States Seeing Success

Monday morning musings for workplace watchers

DOL Pushes Out Grant Funds | Former OFFCP Director Tapped for Judgeship

Parker Purifoy: The Department of Labor is rolling along with its grants initiatives to increase the number of registered apprentices in the country after the first year of the Trump administration failed to increase the number of active trainees.

The DOL recently announced the availability of $85 million in grants, targeted to states with the highest levels of apprenticeship advancement.

The structure “rewards states for recent growth in active and new apprentices and encourages strategies that increase employer participation,” the agency said in its grants announcement.

It’s the latest rollout of money aimed to stimulate workforce programs outside the traditional higher education path.

Labor officials are striving to reach 1 million active apprentices during President Donald Trump’s second administration. Total active apprentice numbers have slipped so far this year but the department says its registered at least 345,000 new apprentices, a 20% increase from the annual average under the Biden administration.

The DOL and Congress have both made moves to alter the laws and regulations around apprenticeships, which are seen as too compliance-heavy for many employers. Apprenticeships and worker training also took a center spot in the DOL’s budget request to Congress, proposing a $3.4 billion Make America Skilled Again framework, which consolidates workforce training programs into one grant scheme.

Other large grants are still in process, including the $145 million in total funding for the pay-for-performance program that will give out up to $40 million to five states or organizations. The incentive program is aimed at several specific industries such as shipbuilding, AI, nuclear energy infrastructure, and health care.

The application period for those grants closed at the beginning of April but the funds haven’t been awarded yet.

To qualify for the SAEF grants, applicants have to set statewide goals to expand their registered apprenticeship programs to increase the number of active apprentices, reserve some money to give directly to companies and apprentices, and commit to using other funding sources that would equal at least 50% of their grant allocation.

The grant conditions also require states with their own apprenticeship agencies to publish average program approval times to “increase transparency and accountability,” in the registration of new apprenticeship programs, the DOL said.

“With this funding opportunity, we are supporting state-driven strategies that strengthen America’s workforce and help employers develop the talent they need in critical industries like shipbuilding, artificial intelligence infrastructure, manufacturing, and other high growth sectors,” said Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a statement.

Workers hang a large photo of US President Donald Trump next to a US flag on the facade of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington, DC.

Photographer: Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images

Rebecca Klar: Craig Leen, former director of the Labor Department’s contractor watchdog, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as an associate judge of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, potentially putting another former Trump administration official on the bench.

Leen served as director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs during the first Trump administration. The K&L Gates LLP partner co-leads the firms’ affirmative action compliance area of focus.

As OFCCP director, Leen emphasized enforcement around anti-disability bias and oversaw early initiatives to limit certain diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings at federal contractors. Since returning to office, Trump has doubled down on efforts to rollback DEI programs, and sought to cut the OFCCP entirely.

“I am deeply appreciative of the trust placed in me by the President and the Judicial Nomination Commission, and I look forward to the confirmation process in the Senate,” Leen said in a LinkedIn post.

If confirmed by the Senate, Leen will have a 15-year term on the court.

The Superior Court covers local legal matters, such as criminal, family, civil, juvenile, landlord-tenant, probate, small claims, and tax. Some Superior Court judges go on to sit on higher courts.

As OFCCP director, Leen emphasized focused on-site reviews of contractors for their efforts to hire and employ individuals with disabilities.

He also sought to enforce a Trump 1.0 executive order to ban “divisive” workplace training.

Leen said the OFCCP would investigate reports of violations among contractors that were found in violation of the order, which included trainings about “white privilege” or “white fragility.”

In prioritizing anti-DEI efforts in his second term, Trump revoked the executive order establishing most of OFCCP’s power. A fraction of the agency’s workforce remains,and the White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget request again proposed slashing the office and offshoring its remaining responsibilities.

We’re punching out. Daily Labor Report subscribers please check in for updates during the week, and feel free to reach out to us.