White House Reviewing Rule to End Industry-Led Apprenticeships

The Biden administration is readying a proposal to rescind the Trump administration’s high-profile initiative that sought to deregulate government-funded apprenticeship programs by shifting oversight to industry groups.

The U.S. Labor Department’s proposed rule to cancel so-called industry-recognized apprenticeship programs, or IRAPs, was sent to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, according to an online notice Friday. Review by the White House’s regulatory office is traditionally the final step before rules are cleared for public release.

President Joe Biden ordered the department in February to discontinue the IRAP system, just as participants were in the early stages ...