This Department of Labor report shares lessons learned from efforts to expand apprenticeships into new industries and reach more diverse populations, including individuals facing barriers to employment. Many Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants need opportunities that are designed with their challenges in mind. TANF practitioners can use this resource to identify what works when engaging populations similar to TANF clients, including strategies to improve retention and completion. It helps address the gap between access and success by showing how apprenticeship programs can be adapted to better support participants as they work toward employment and reduced reliance on benefits.

This toolkit is designed to help public sector organizations—including state and local agencies—develop and expand apprenticeship programs. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this opens opportunities to connect participants to jobs within government and public service roles that offer stability, benefits, and clear career progression. Practitioners can use this resource to explore how their own agencies or partner organizations can create apprenticeship pathways for TANF clients. It can help them actively shape job opportunities, giving clients access to structured, paid pathways that support long-term employment and financial independence.

This ACT toolkit focuses on how to better align training with the skills employers need—an issue that often determines whether participants can successfully transition into lasting employment. This is critical for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. TANF practitioners can use this resource to strengthen apprenticeship partnerships so participants are placed into programs that lead to high-earning job opportunities. It helps address a common gap where training does not match hiring demand, making it more likely that participants complete apprenticeships and move into stable, higher-paying jobs.

This Apprenticeship.gov resource highlights how intermediary organizations can help connect employers, training providers, and workforce programs to expand access to apprenticeships. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, intermediaries can remove much of the burden of building employer partnerships. TANF practitioners can use this approach to quickly connect participants to paid, structured training opportunities that lead directly to jobs. It helps close a key gap—limited access to employers—while supporting participants in earning income, building skills, and transitioning off assistance through stable employment.

This article looks at how an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-focused apprenticeship program helped participants build in-demand skills and move into employment. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), this resource can show how apprenticeships can open doors to emerging, higher-paying fields, not just traditional trades. TANF practitioners can use this to explore how “earn while you learn” models can work even in technical areas like AI, helping participants gain skills while receiving income. It addresses a growing gap between available jobs and worker skills and gives programming ideas for connecting clients to career paths that offer long-term growth and stability.

This initiative by the Department of Labor introduces artificial intelligence (AI) skills into apprenticeship programs, reflecting how jobs are changing across industries. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this is important because it highlights the need to prepare participants not just for today’s jobs, but for jobs of the future. TANF practitioners can use this resource to incorporate digital and technical skill-building into employment plans, even for participants entering trades or non-traditional tech roles. It helps bridge a growing skills gap and gives TANF clients exposure to tools and knowledge that can increase their competitiveness and earning potential over time.

This Department of Labor guidance focuses on expanding registered apprenticeships by making them easier to start and more accessible to both employers and participants. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants, apprenticeships can be a powerful tool because they combine paid work with hands-on learning—something many participants need but may not know exists. This resource helps TANF programs identify ways to partner with employers or workforce agencies to bring these opportunities to TANF clients. It addresses the gap between training and employment by offering a model where participants can earn while they learn, which can improve engagement and retention.

This factsheet overviews the Executive Order by the Trump-Vance Administration to protect and strengthen Registered Apprenticeships. It breaks down changes required for workforce programs in order to make training faster, more flexible, and more connected to the economy’s needs.

This Executive Order (EO) by the Trump-Vance Administration announces that they will consolidate and streamline fragmented Federal workforce development programs that are too disconnected from propelling workers into secure, well-paying, and high-need American jobs. This EO will expand Registered Apprenticeships (RA) to new industries and occupations, including high-growth and emerging sectors, as well as improve RA’s efficiency and provide consistent support to program participants.

WorkforceGPS will host a webinar on April 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET to highlight how apprenticeship models can connect youth to career pathways. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use this information to increase their knowledge of registered apprenticeship opportunities for young people. They will also learn how to expand career options for young participants, especially those who may not be engaged in traditional education or employment, by connecting them to these hands-on training opportunities that build skills, support long-term employment, and reduce reliance on government assistance.