Maricopa County aims for 3,000 apprentices by 2026 to expand workforce training

Maricopa County is working toward a goal of enrolling 3,000 apprentices by 2026, a county staff member said, and described registered apprenticeships as a way for people to gain training without stopping their paychecks.

“We have the lofty goal of 3,000 apprentices, by 2026, which we're well on our way towards. But registered apprenticeships really just provide a way for people to get that get into that career they're interested in and not have to take a break from income to go get the training, get the education, get the information needed to really pursue that,” the staff member said.

The staff member characterized registered apprenticeships as career-entry pathways that combine job training with continued employment. The statement included the numeric goal and target year but did not provide a current enrollment count or a detailed timeline for reaching the target.

There was no motion or vote recorded on the apprenticeship goal during the item excerpted in the transcript. The exchange in the meeting consisted of a single substantive comment introducing the county’s target and explaining the purpose of registered apprenticeships; the transcript did not show any formal direction to staff or follow-up assignments tied to the comment.

Details such as the current number of active apprentices, funding sources for expanding apprenticeship slots, participating employers, or specific apprenticeship programs were not specified in the transcript excerpt.