Sacramento — California Secretary of Labor Stewart Knox released the following statement and update ahead of Labor Day:
“On Labor Day, we honor every worker in California and their contribution to the Golden State. We have made meaningful progress for working people, and will continue to advance access to equitable training, career pathways, and workplace protections for all workers.” -Stewart Knox, Secretary of the Labor & Workforce Development Agency
Workforce Training and Career Pathways
In alignment with Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Career Education and the goal of creating 500,000 new apprenticeships by 2029, the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) has expanded apprenticeships and earn‑and‑learn opportunities to provide more Californians with a pathway to a good paying job. These investments include:
- $68 million in funding to boost apprenticeship programs, create new jobs, and fill labor shortages;
- $26 million to recruit more women into construction careers;
- $20 million in construction apprenticeships to meet infrastructure needs;
- $15.4 million to connect opportunity youth with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in high-demand fields;
- $10 million for programs that help farmworkers adjust to the ever-changing demands of the farming industry, providing access to education, career services, and training;
- $18.6 million available to increase equitable access to High Road jobs, with $4.3 million earmarked for healthcare sector projects; and
- $80 million in California Jobs First funding for projects that will create 23,000 new jobs.
In Sacramento, the Strive Community Health Institute will use their California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) implementation grant to train 100 opportunity youth for careers in healthcare, including caseworkers and doulas. While at Cerritos College, Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship (ERiCA) grant funding will be used to support an ironwork apprenticeship program that is training more women to reinforce concrete with steel and cables.
The Electric Vehicle Training Program Fund awarded $1.7 million in funding to support 14 programs training state-certified electricians to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Worker Health & Safety
In 2024, California implemented nation-leading indoor heat illness prevention standards that require employers to train workers on indoor heat protections and provide cool-down areas, rest breaks, and water in indoor workplaces when temperatures exceed 82 degrees.
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has visited 308 worksites since May 2, 2025, reaching 10,761 employees with heat illness prevention information. Additionally, the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has reached more than 1,000 groups and businesses with heat awareness education through the Heat Illness Prevention Network, a public-private partnership of labor groups, employers, and advocates and the California Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP).
In March, DIR announced $25 million in CWOP funding to 89 community based organizations to educate workers about their rights and promote workplace safety, especially for workers in high-risk industries, including those involved in fire debris removal and rebuilding efforts.
As of July 1, 2025, many domestic workers, including certain housecleaners, caregivers, and gardeners, are now covered under the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Act, ensuring equitable health and safety protections across all workplaces.
California for ALL
Through the Reaching Every Californian campaign, the California Labor Commissioner provides worker rights education around wage theft and retaliation to Californians in multiple languages and communities.
Additionally, the Labor Commissioner continues to remind workers and employers that California’s labor laws protect every worker in the state, regardless of immigration status. This reminder underscores the Governor’s commitment to ensuring that all workers have access to the protections and benefits they are entitled to under the law
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The Labor & Workforce Development Agency trains workers for good jobs, enforces labor laws to keep them safe and secure, and administers benefits to assist Californians in times of transition. LWDA oversees seven departments, boards, and panels that serve California employers and workers.