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Public Sector Apprenticeship Initiative

Overview

Public Sector Apprenticeships
ILG's New Workforce Initiative

In 2022, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) released Advancing Apprenticeship in California: A Five-Point Action Plan, which detailed Governor Newsom’s commitment to tackling growing income inequality in California. The plan identified registered apprenticeship as one of the Administration’s three key jobs strategies and noted that they “provide the education and training necessary to prepare Californians for the jobs of today and tomorrow.” Newsom set an ambitious goal for the state: to expand California’s apprenticeship system, already the largest in the United States, to serve 500,000 apprentices by 2029. The plan specifically identified public sector apprenticeships as a key opportunity for achieving this goal.

Since that time, the Newsom Administration has unveiled a number of innovative programs, initiatives and funding streams to expand registered apprenticeships in the public sector.

About ILG’s Registered Apprenticeship Program

Traditional apprenticeships in areas like public safety and construction have a long and proud history in the public sector. But non-traditional registered apprenticeships in sectors like human resources, accounting or informational technology are much less common. ILG is creating a new pilot program for California cities, counties and special districts to explore non-traditional registered apprenticeships.

Working in partnership with the California Department of Apprenticeship Standards, ILG will partner with interested cities, counties and special districts to develop apprenticeship programs and standards in select high need job classifications in the public sector. Together, we’ll develop a scalable statewide program that streamlines the administrative process for local agencies and supports the unique needs of a public sector workplace.

Funding

The 2022-2023 California State Budget invested over $231 million in apprenticeship-related spending and more than $480 million from 2022-2025. That funding included $175 million to create apprenticeship innovation funding for non-traditional programs. In addition, there are numerous federal and philanthropic funding sources available to help advance this work, particularly for programs that focus on expanding economic mobility among underserved populations, diversifying the public sector workforce and upskilling or re-skilling residents into living wage and high road careers.

Partner with Us

Developing a robust statewide network for public sector registered apprenticeships is a major initiative that will require a broad coalition of stakeholders. We welcome additional initiative partners in the public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic sector to advance this important work. Current partners include:

  • The James Irvine Foundation
  • The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
  • High Road Training Partnership

Learn More

To stay informed about ILG’s apprenticeship initiative and learn more about how your organization can get involved, please click here.

Important Apprenticeship Resources

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