California greenlights $25M for apprenticeship programs

Dive Brief:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved $25 million in grants for apprenticeship programs across the state, many of which will funnel workers into the construction industry, according to an Oct. 20 announcement.
• The grants aid 88 apprenticeship programs that will train approximately 22,208 California workers in the skilled trades via the Employment Training Panel, a state government apparatus that helps employers fund training for their workers, according to the news release.
• Amid an ongoing labor crisis in the industry, California emphasized the economic impact that construction has on the state’s economy, as it generates more than $156 billion in annual economic activity and employs close to one million people, per the announcement.

Dive Insight:

Many who will join the funded apprenticeships are women, justice-involved individuals, veterans and people transitioning from unemployment or low-paying jobs. Over Newsom’s tenure as governor, the ETP has supported 99,023 apprentices, according to the release.

“This pathway aligns with our goal of supporting 500,000 apprentices by 2029, creating a more equitable job pipeline for Californians across the state,” Newsom said in the announcement. The grants are funded by the Employment Training Tax on employers and don’t come out of the state’s General Fund.

In the construction industry, more than a third of California developers have delayed or canceled commercial real estate projects due to rising costs and tariff uncertainty, according to a summer 2025 Allen Matkins and UCLA report. However, the Golden State has moved to help speed up building work as well, via overhauls to the California Environmental Quality Act, to ease the amount of red tape on certain kinds of projects.

“ETP is proud to invest in high-wage, high-road job training programs that are directly aligned with industry needs,” said Jessica Grimes, executive director of ETP, in the release.