Vermont Department of Labor outlines expansion plan for registered apprenticeship programs

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The Vermont Department of Labor on Wednesday briefed the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on efforts to expand registered apprenticeship programs statewide, citing recent program growth, targeted outreach, and new federal funding opportunities.

Commissioner Kendall Smith said the briefing was intended to clarify how registered apprenticeships differ from other ‘‘earn‑and‑learn’’ efforts and to highlight the department's 2026 priorities. "If you're in a registered apprenticeship program, the credential that you receive at the end is recognized across state lines," Smith said, stressing portability for graduates.

The department emphasized that registered apprenticeship is employer‑led and subject to national standards. Jay Ramsey, workforce development director, described core program elements that sponsors must document when registering a program, including a training outline, on‑the‑job mentoring and progressive wage increases. "When I'm out and I hear someone say 'apprenticeship,' my follow‑up question is, is it registered?" Ramsey said.

Ramsey presented federal fiscal‑year data showing 1,686 active apprentices, 701 new apprentices and 197 completions, and said program availability in Vermont has more than doubled in recent years. He told the committee that average apprentice age has fallen — a shift he attributed to stronger connections with career and technical education (CTE) pathways and improved data collection.

The department reported outcomes from outreach work: it held 47 discovery calls with employers last year, 13 of which converted to registered programs. Those conversions produced three occupations that were new to Vermont's registered list — weatherization technicians and two hospital‑related roles (surgical technician and sterile processing) — and five additional programs with pending design completion.

State funding and grants were discussed as program supports. Ramsey said the Department of Labor provides grants to partners, naming Vermont State University as the sponsor and administrator for the electrical and plumbing program and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center for outreach to manufacturers. The department also cited a Saint Johnsbury Academy grant to develop an evening and weekend year‑one electrical curriculum for adult CTE programs to expand access beyond the online Vermont State University offering.

Ramsey outlined on‑ramps for apprenticeship, including certified pre‑apprenticeship programs and a focus on connecting corrections‑involved individuals to career pathways. He said the department certified four pre‑apprenticeship programs in the last year and is working with Vermont adult learning to certify a weatherization pre‑apprenticeship (related instruction vendor Everblue was named).

On teacher pathways, Ramsey described a multiyear pilot and a memorandum of understanding with the Agency of Education that uses federal apprenticeship expansion funds to support an emerging pathways coordinator to align licensing with registered apprenticeship sponsorship. The work has backing from private partners such as the McClure Foundation, he said.

Speakers also outlined the federal policy and funding environment. Commissioner Smith and Ramsey noted the federal administration's emphasis on apprenticeship in America's Talent Strategy, a proposed administration goal to increase apprentices nationally, and recent federal announcements. Ramsey said the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Fund allows manufacturing employers to apply directly for support and cited a $3,500 employer incentive per manufacturing apprentice; he also referenced a new $145 million federal funding announcement for state apprenticeship initiatives.

On staffing and capacity, Ramsey said the apprenticeship program is run by a small team (three FTEs) handling outreach, registration and monitoring under federal regulations and cautioned the committee about limits to what the department can do without increased capacity.

Looking ahead, the department said its 2026 legislative request will be a set of technical corrections to Act 55 language and reiterated priorities to expand the number of registered and pre‑apprenticeship pathways, strengthen adult CTE alignment, and publicize federal resources to employers.

The committee did not take any formal votes on the briefing; department staff offered to return for a fuller review of slides and follow‑up items, and a joint hearing on related issues was scheduled for the next week.