Trump’s push for 1 million new apprentices is off to a rocky start, critics say

In April 2025, President Trump directed three cabinet secretaries to deliver — within 120 days — a plan “to reach and surpass 1 million new active apprentices.”  

What’s happening: A plan was written up, and as of March 18, 2026, there were 700,388 total active apprentices participating in nearly 27,000 active programs across the U.S., according to a Department of Labor dashboard. 

Yes, but: That’s down from 702,191 active apprentices in the prior fiscal year, the first decline in a decade, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) noted. 

• While the figure has grown from roughly 395,000 in fiscal year 2016, “The effort is faltering,” the association wrote. 
• “The Trump Administration has already scaled back its pledge to create one million new apprentices to the less ambitious goal of having one million active apprentices by 2029,” it added, suggesting that the revised goal folds existing apprentices into the count, a shift from the original call for one million new entrants. 

A Department of Labor spokesperson told Homepros that since the beginning of the Trump administration in January 2025, “there have been over 350,000 new apprentices registered.” The spokesperson didn’t return a follow-up request for clarification on how the figure was calculated. 

Why it matters: U.S. employment of HVAC technicians and installers is projected to grow eight percent from 2024 to 2034, “much faster than the average for all occupations,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Zoom in: Zach Boren, former Chief of Registered Apprenticeship & Policy at the DOL, in March told NPR that the amount of federal funds earmarked for apprenticeships — $285 million — is not enough to achieve the administration’s goal. 

• President Trump last year asked Congress for $3 billion to consolidate workforce development programs into the Make America Skilled Again initiative, with 10 percent allocated for apprenticeships, but lawmakers rejected the framework and instead approved the same $285 million, Bloomberg reported. 

Go deeper: Washington Monthly in December 2025 detailed how the DOL’s Office of Apprenticeships faced staffing cuts by the Elon Musk-led DOGE, as well as how the Trump administration had actually cut grant funding and other initiatives that supported apprenticeships. 

• Meanwhile, the Labor Department is said to be in turmoil as Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation amid allegations that she misused agency resources and had an affair with a member of her security team.

Yes, but: The Labor Department recently announced changes to make it easier for businesses to set up registered apprenticeship programs, a step toward reaching its goal, as Homepros previously reported.  

• “We’re removing the administrative roadblocks that have prevented Registered Apprenticeship from scaling to meet demand,” Chavez-DeRemer said in the agency’s announcement. 
• The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) cautioned, however, that a focus on speed could compromise the quality of education.