In a new executive order, President Joe Biden seeks to set the stage for apprenticeship goals, preferences, and evaluation factors on projects that receive federal funding.

On March 6, President Biden issued an executive order on “scaling and expanding the use of registered apprenticeships in industries and the federal government and promoting labor-management forums.”

Under the order, federal agencies must review their federal financial assistance programs and procurement plans and identify where they could include requirements, application evaluation factors, or incentives for contractors to employ workers on projects receiving federal funding who are participating in, or who have completed, either a registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship.

Federal agencies have six months to provide an initial report putting forth considerations for such requirements. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that such requirements would be finalized this year, given the time needed to undertake regulatory approval processes.

AGC supports increased access, removal of barriers to and funding for apprenticeship programs without regard to union affiliation while opposing new federal apprenticeship utilization requirements.