Governor Newsom proclaims National Apprenticeship Week
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring April 26 to May 2, 2026, as “National Apprenticeship Week.”
The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:
PROCLAMATION
As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, California celebrates apprenticeships as a vital career pathway key to the prosperity and vitality of our state. We are proud to be a national leader in growing the number and type of apprenticeships, enabling more Californians to pursue rewarding careers while strengthening our economy.
This “earn and learn” workforce development model is an impactful alternative to traditional education paths that benefits employers and workers alike by filling skill gaps in critical areas and helping businesses grow. In 2025, the state allocated and awarded over $240 million toward high-quality apprenticeships across the state and maintains an investment of $30 million annually into the California Apprenticeship Initiative Grants to develop and expand new and innovative apprenticeship programs.
California’s apprenticeship system is the largest in the nation. Since 2019, 245,342 Californians have completed registered apprenticeships, and 674,735 Californians – 1 in 30 in the workforce – have completed an earn-and-learn apprenticeship. We have pioneered the Apprenticeship Innovation Fund (AIF), an approach to scale apprenticeships so effective that the U.S. Department of Labor has since adopted a similar approach. Since its inception in 2021, AIF has achieved over 75% growth in non-traditional apprenticeships, and in 2025, AIF funded 70 apprenticeship programs and more than 11,000 apprentices, who earned an average of $50.29 per hour.
The California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship grant focuses on young people facing barriers to employment and education by supporting opportunities in high-demand career pathways through registered pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. California’s Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships grant program helps break down barriers and support women pursuing work in the building trades, funding partners that provide direct stipends for childcare, support recruitment and outreach, and improve worksite culture through training for all on the worksite. By tapping into underserved and underrepresented communities, California is addressing urgent workforce needs while building a pipeline of skilled workers through paid, on-the-job training programs that provide both career advancement and economic security.
National Apprenticeship Week is a moment to recognize the apprentices, employers, training providers, educators, labor unions, and workforce development partners who collaborate to make California’s apprenticeship system prosperous and full of opportunity for all.
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim April 26 to May 2, 2026, as “National Apprenticeship Week.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 25th day of April 2026.
GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California
ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State