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County highlights apprenticeship program, says ARPA funds helped create national model
Summary
County leaders and apprentices marked National Apprenticeship Week, citing an ARPA-funded initiative (launched 2023) that county speakers credited with training hundreds to thousands of residents and creating career pathways without student debt.
Commissioners and union partners praised Harris County's apprenticeship initiative during a recognition of National Apprenticeship Week, highlighting pathways to well-paying trades and credentialed careers.
Shelly Baker of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation said the program began in 2023 after a nearly $11 million ARPA investment and has placed more than 900 county workers into apprenticeship pathways; other commissioners and speakers later described broader participation figures (speakers mentioned up to 1,700 participants) and credited the program with national attention. “These programs apprentices receive earn while you learn workforce training opportunities across 11 skilled trades,” Baker told the court.
Several apprentices testified about the impact on their lives. Noah Fisher said he had passed his state licensing exam and was months from becoming a journeyman, calling the apprenticeships a career alternative to college. The court said it will continue funding the program in the FY27 general fund to expand opportunities.
