What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced $92 million in funding to train Californians for jobs in growing industries. The new investments continue California’s commitment to build a skilled workforce that can compete in the global economy and fill jobs envisioned in the Jobs First Economic Blueprint unveiled by Gov. Newsom on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

SACRAMENTO (Feb. 26, 2025) –Governor Gavin Newsom Wednesday announced $92 million in funding for new apprenticeships and earn-and-learn programs to train Californians for stable, family-supporting careers.

The new funding marks another significant milestone in meeting the governor’s goal of 500,000 new training slots by 2029. Since 2019, California has served 200,938 registered apprentices, solidifying its position as the nation’s leader in apprenticeship programs. More than 400,000 additional workers have or will be served through existing contracts for earn-and-learn programs, which provide income or stipends while training people for new jobs or to advance in their current fields.

The investments announced Wednesday come in three categories: $52 million for new apprenticeships: $16 million for pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship funding for young people ages 16-24; and $24.1 million in High Road Training Partnership funds to train people for jobs in healthcare.

Registered apprenticeships in growing industries

The Department of Industrial Relations and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards has opened applications for $52 million in Apprenticeship Innovation Funding to create new apprenticeships and scale existing ones in high-demand sectors such as technology and healthcare, both of which are identified as key building blocks in the state’s Jobs First Economic Blueprint.

“Apprenticeships are the gold standard of workforce training, and under Governor Newsom we have expanded this pathway to good jobs into promising new areas like advanced manufacturing, transit, and healthcare,” said Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, which oversees DIR.

This is the third round of AIF funding. During the first and second rounds, DAS awarded $41.7 million to 73 registered apprenticeship programs, many of which showed promising results.

For example, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority went from serving 80 apprentices in the first year of AIF to 258 apprentices in the second year, which enabled them to fill bus driver vacancies. AIF funding also expanded numerous apprenticeship programs in non-traditional sectors such as finance, technology, and healthcare.

$16 million to boost youth apprenticeships, fill labor shortages, and uplift disconnected young people

In addition to the innovation funding, DAS said it would award $16 million to boost youth apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

The California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) grant helps young people ages 16 to 24, who are often out of school or unemployed. This funding supports pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that provide hands-on, real-world job training, helping to remove barriers to employment.

During the first round of COYA, $31 million was awarded to 51 projects across various in-demand sectors. EMS Corps of Oakland received $1.8 million to support Firefighter and Paramedic pre-apprentices. The California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee is the largest apprenticeship program in California, currently with 12,129 active apprentices. The majority of the state’s firefighters are trained through apprenticeship programs.

The grant also supported information technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing programs. Vehicles for Change used the funding to train at-risk youth in automotive technician careers as they strive to reduce recidivism. And a cyber-security pre-apprenticeship program called Love Never Fails used the grant to teach coding skills to marginalized populations, including survivors of human trafficking.

Training for healthcare workers builds healthier communities

California’s Workforce Development Board Wednesday announced $24.1 million in High Road Training Partnership funding for 10 projects statewide to expand pathways into high-quality healthcare careers.

Awards include $5 million to the Center for Caregiver Advancement in Los Angeles, which will use the money to expand its upskilling program for in-home caregivers in the state’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHHS) program to address health and safety needs and to be prepared for disasters like the Los Angeles firestorms. So far, the Center for Caregiver Advancement has trained 35,000 in-home caregivers, including 4,000 who have learned disaster readiness skills.