in effect
Executive Order 14278, signed April 23, 2025, directs the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education to review and restructure federal workforce training programs with a focus on skilled trades and apprenticeships. It sets specific deadlines for reports and plans to be delivered to White House domestic policy staff and the Office of Management and Budget.
Within 90 days, the three departments must submit a report identifying which federal workforce programs are ineffective and recommending reforms, funding redirections, or eliminations. The report must also identify ways to streamline those programs and recognize credentials other than four-year college degrees as valid pathways to employment. Within 120 days, the same departments must deliver a separate plan specifically aimed at reaching and surpassing 1 million active registered apprentices nationwide. The order also requires the three departments to make earnings and employment outcome data publicly available for all federally funded workforce and credential programs.
Workers seeking job training, apprenticeships, or federally funded education programs may see those programs restructured, consolidated, or eliminated based on the reviews this order requires. Employers — particularly those in manufacturing, skilled trades, and emerging industries — are positioned as key voices in defining what skills and credentials the programs should target. Organizations that currently administer or receive grants from federal workforce programs may face changed reporting requirements and reduced administrative burden, or may lose funding if their programs are found ineffective.