The U.S. Department of Labor is celebrating the start of National Apprenticeship Week, an annual celebration of this proven path to rewarding careers.
Running from April 27-May 2, the 2026 National Apprenticeship Week features 2,700 planned apprenticeship events and proclamations nationwide, unified under the theme, “America at Work: Making America Skilled Again through Registered Apprenticeship.” This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme reflects the prominence of Registered Apprenticeships as a key strategy to ensure the American worker is equipped for the skilled jobs of today and tomorrow.
“National Apprenticeship Week offers us all a chance to celebrate the vital role that Registered Apprenticeship plays in lifting up American workers by offering them marketable skills,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “The Trump Administration is committed to having the most skilled workforce possible to restore America’s economic dominance and advance the American Dream for workers across our nation.”
A National Signing Day ceremony at the Department of Labor headquarters in Washington on April 27 recognized the first civilian Registered Apprenticeship program sponsored by the Department of War—the largest sponsor of Registered Apprenticeships in the U.S., with 118,000 active duty service members participating. AstraZeneca and JobForward, whose partners include IBM and M&T Bank, were on hand to celebrate the new apprenticeship in cybersecurity.
Sponsors and employers with new Registered Apprenticeship programs are participating by signing new program standards and hiring new apprentices.
Sonderling will participate in an event with Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Henry Mack spotlighting how national industry associations are leveraging Registered Apprenticeship to strengthen their workforce pipelines, and a hybrid event, “Building the AI-Ready Workforce through Registered Apprenticeship,” focuses on providing resources and strategies for integrating AI-driven training into Registered Apprenticeship programs.
The events taking place across National Apprenticeship Week 2026 seek to advance the department’s ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s numerous executive orders addressing how to prepare Americans for jobs in skilled trades, including the shipping and maritime workforce, while also embracing future technologies that will innovate the workplace, including artificial intelligence. Since the beginning of the second Trump Administration, over 386,000 new apprentices have registered across the nation, building towards the president’s goal of 1 million apprentices.
To register for Building the AI-Ready Workforce through Registered Apprenticeship hybrid event, click here.
To find a National Apprenticeship Week 2026 event near you and learn how to participate, click here.
About the U.S. Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor‘s mission is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.
