An executive order of April 23 of President Donald Trump directs the secretaries of the departments of labor, trade and education to review the development programs of the workforce of the Government and find out a plan to expand the learning registered in new industries and occupations.
The White House cited the scarcity of construction workers while ordering, but it is not clear how many added learning would include construction or if they would focus on other areas such as manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
The action will allow workers “to fill in jobs of good payment and demand,” said U.S. secretary Lori Chavez-Demermer in a statement.
The order offers 90 days to the Agency’s heads to send a report to the White House focused on improving the efficiency of existing work and education programs or to redirect their funding to more widely address the development of necessary skills. It also provides 120 -day agency chief to present a plan to overcome 1 million active learners.
This would be a sharp increase in the approximately 678,000 active learners participating in programs registered in all the United States from January 31, according to the United States Department of Work and Training of Work. Although this number has dropped slightly since 2024, the number of learners has grown differently every year since 2015, when there were about 360,000 learners.
The order itself alludes to the Trump administration policies aimed at promoting domestic manufacturing and artificial intelligence, and it came to the same day as other AI orders and higher education, but does not mention construction even that the industry has most active learners, with more than 243,000, according to the administration of work and training. Industry groups shared optimism that the order could help address scarcity for labor qualified in construction.
“It is always positive to see the White House and others talking about the importance of specialized commercial positions,” says Jim Young, principal director of Labor Congress, RRHH, and security for the General Associated General Contractors of America. Michael Bellaman, president and CEO of associated builders and contractors, said in a statement that learning is part of the approach to everything that is needed in the development of labor force to address chronic work shortages. “Extending learning opportunities in high -demand industries, especially construction, is commendable because it equips our employees with lasting and transferible set -out skills that feed the economic engine of America,” he said.
It is also not clear about the language language if the new or updated programs will focus on union or non -union learning or a combination of both.
Of learners registered in the construction, more than 166,000 are in union programs, compared to about 75,000 in non -union programs, according to the administration of employment and training, although the non -union learning of the Union in other fields.
Young notes that the language of the new order seems to follow a different model than the efforts to encourage learning during the first Trump administration. In any case, AGC aims to provide suggestions to officials as they fulfill the executive order. “This is Trump’s administration talking about strengthening the registered learning model,” he says. “Some could read it,” how to strengthen the union registered learning model. I think it is too early to say what the administration does and where they will come to it. “
Representative Tim Walberg (R-Mich), President of the Education and Strength Committee, praised Trump’s order in a statement, saying that “it will extend the opportunities for young Americans to enter well paid jobs.” He also criticized Biden’s administration for promoting union learning about others, possibly offering a look at the thought behind the directive.
