Dive Brief:

• The Trump administration officially declared its support for apprenticeships by asking federal agencies to consider and remove regulations that could stifle creation of such programs, Bloomberg reports. Another announcement is expected Wednesday on workforce development.
• This week, known as Apprenticeship Week in media circles, will see President Trump visiting a technical school in Wisconsin to espouse support for vocational programs. The Trump family, including Ivanka Trump (who is visiting Wisconsin with her father), has spoken out about the need to train Americans for the millions of job openings throughout the country.
• However, Trump's DOL budget cuts funding from some federal programs that were allegedly supposed to support skills initiatives. Trump staffers claim the cuts are about the "accountability and effectiveness" of the programs.

Dive Insight:

Apprenticeships are one of the hotter words in the workplace development world right now, as more industries are finding worth in providing alternatives to four-year college and creating pipelines of young talent. Industries like construction and manufacturing face a massive brain drain as older workers begin to retire, since few young workers are willing to take up the reins so far.

Employers are struggling to overcome the "image gap" — a perception that working in certain industries leads to dead-ends or backbreaking work with little chance for promotion. In order to overcome these perceptions, some companies have partnered with local schools (even as young as middle school) to inform students about the real opportunities that exist in these industries. 

Apprenticeships have also found worth in more "white-collar" spaces, including at STEM employers that face large talent gaps, as well. But organizations of all types can find worth in providing development opportunities — be it more low-key, in-house e-learning programs or a full skills development suite — to their employees.