Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums

The order directs a broad array of federal agencies to review their grants and procurement programs and add requirements, evaluation factors, or incentives encouraging grantees and contractors to employ workers in Registered Apprenticeship or Pre-Apprenticeship programs. It establishes a Registered Apprenticeship Interagency Working Group within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate policy, issue guidance, and submit an initial report to the President within 180 days. It also directs agencies to develop and expand in-house Registered Apprenticeship programs for both new hires and current federal employees, including outreach to underserved communities.

The order revokes Executive Order 13812 (2017), which had eliminated Labor-Management Forums, and supersedes Executive Order 13522 (2009). It requires each agency with union-represented employees to establish joint labor-management committees, allow pre-decisional employee involvement in workplace matters, and submit a written implementation plan to OPM within 180 days. Existing collective bargaining agreements are explicitly preserved, and implementation is subject to applicable law and appropriations.

Federal agencies and their workforces, particularly those with union-represented employees; federal contractors and grant recipients who may face new apprenticeship requirements; workers — especially those from underserved communities — seeking pathways into federal employment; and labor unions representing federal employees.

Federal contractors and grantees may face new apprenticeship hiring conditions when competing for federally funded projects. Federal employees gain a formal channel — Labor-Management Forums — to weigh in on workplace decisions. Workers without four-year degrees gain a new, structured route to federal jobs and career advancement.

The Working Group — co-chaired by the OMB Director, NEC Director, and DPC Director, with the Labor Secretary and OPM Director as vice chairs — coordinates agency implementation and publishes best practices. For procurement and grants, agencies review programs, apply apprenticeship incentives, and report annually to the Working Group. For Labor-Management Forums, agencies submit plans to OPM within 180 days; OPM certifies or returns plans within 60 days; agencies resubmit corrections within 30 days. Enforcement relies on OPM certification review and agency plan obligations rather than financial penalties.