HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) today announced a more than $6.6 million investment in 19 Pennsylvania organizations to develop and expand registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in the agriculture, health care, and information technology (IT) sectors. Since day one, Governor Josh Shapiro has been committed to investing in workforce development. Over his first two budgets, his Administration has increased funding for vo-tech, career and technical education (CTE), and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million, which is 50 percent more than the day he took office. The Commonwealth has created more than 110 new registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in just two years.
The Governor’s 2025-26 budget proposal looks to build upon two years of progress across sectors, including by investing $5 million to create the Nurse Shortage Assistance Program – which Forbes recently touted as a potential national model to address nursing workforce shortage – and an additional $13 million to attract new agricultural businesses and further cement Pennsylvania’s place as a national leader in agricultural innovation.
“Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, Pennsylvania is taking meaningful action to strengthen workforce pipelines and ensure our Commonwealth has the skilled professionals to meet the evolving workforce needs of today and tomorrow,” said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. “By strategically investing in registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in these in-demand sectors, we are equipping workers with the hands-on, real-world training they need to succeed and help keep Pennsylvania moving forward.”
Each organization selected to receive funding went through a competitive grant process; the investments are 100 percent state funded.
AGRICULTURE SECTOR
Through the Supporting Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative, eight organizations are receiving a total of $2,536,186:
Indiana County Conservation District (Indiana County - $399,317)
The Indiana County Conservation District will create and establish an agriculture conservation technician apprenticeship program that will provide apprentices with the necessary training and work experience for careers as agriculture conservation employees at Pennsylvania conservation districts, the State Conservation Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the Penn State Center for Agriculture Conservation and Training.
Wool Bank Forest Farm (Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties - $399,993)
Wool Bank Forest Farm aims to train four apprentices from Erie, PA on the core principles of agroforestry and agroecology in the following settings: livestock prescribed grazing, forest farming, local/regional food policy, and riparian conservation.
School District of Philadelphia (Philadelphia County - $400,000)
The School District of Philadelphia’s Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) pre-apprenticeship pipeline program addresses demand for CEA workers in Pennsylvania, including in Philadelphia.
The Center for Dairy Excellence (Statewide - $50,670)
By working closely with high school agricultural educators across Pennsylvania and with agricultural technical schools, this project would expand the number of active pre-apprentices enrolled in the dairy laborer pre-apprenticeship by 40 individuals from July 2025 to June 2027.
Phase 4 Learning Center, Inc. (Allegheny and Beaver counties - $399,382)
Phase 4 Learning Center's AgriTech pre-apprenticeship program exposes individuals from historically marginalized communities to a variety of opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Chester County Intermediate Unit (Chester County - $342,647)
Chester County Intermediate Unit’s agricultural technician pre-apprenticeship program is designed to equip students with the foundational skills and hands on experience necessary for a successful agricultural career.
LEAF Project, Inc. (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, and York counties - $144,644)
The LEAF Project offers high school students employment, leadership development, and agricultural training through its pre-apprenticeship program. Youth aged 14 – 18 gain hands-on farm management experience, progressing to roles with greater responsibility over three to four years.
John Bartram Association (Philadelphia County - $399,533)
Building on a nationally recognized, accredited youth workforce development program at the Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram's Garden, this project supports the creation and 18-month pilot of a new registered apprenticeship program focused on equipping local young adults, ages 18 – 24, to prepare for and connect with careers in urban agriculture.
HEALTH CARE SECTOR
Through the Supporting Pennsylvania’s Healthcare Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative, five organizations are receiving a total of $1,942,273:
Bucks County Community College (Bucks, Philadelphia, and Montgomery counties - $400,000)
Bucks County Community College will partner with Drexel University, District 1199C, Bucks County Workforce and Economic Development Board, regional hospitals, and medical practices to create a career-aligned registered pre-apprenticeship program. This project will train two cohorts of 12 pre-apprentices each, for a total of 24. Pre-apprentices will receive certification in EKG tech, certified phlebotomy tech, CPR, mental health first aid for fire/EMS, and child abuse recognition and reporting training.
Hamilton-Ryker/TalentGro (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry, and York counties - $399,078)
The Healthcare Career Advancement Track (H-CAT) initiative will address workforce shortages and training gaps by launching new apprenticeships to expand career pathways in nursing in Pennsylvania. The grant will equip workers with in-demand skills while earning wages, enhance retention strategies, including mentoring and career advancement support, and foster inclusive workforce development by increasing access for underrepresented populations.
UPMC (Allegheny County - $400,000)
UPMC will support a new registered apprenticeship program to recruit and train Allegheny County residents living in underserved communities who are interested in health care careers. The program will prioritize establishing a stable pipeline to support careers with high career growth rates to improve overall health care accessibility in the region. The registered apprenticeship will support four occupations where apprentices will be guided into permanent imaging technician, surgical technician, pharmacy technician, and registered nurse roles.
Propel America (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties - $343,866)
Propel America will establish two individual registered apprenticeship programs for medical Assistants and pharmacy technicians to address health care workforce shortages in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. These earn-and-learn programs will collectively train 15 apprentices, with 85% from underrepresented backgrounds.
ASHLIN Management Group (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry, York, Lancaster, Mifflin, and Schuylkill counties - $399,329)
The Nursing Assistant (NA) apprenticeship program addresses workforce shortages in South Central PA by creating a skilled NA pipeline for long-term care, hospitals, and home health agencies. Partnering with Harrisburg Area Community College for RTI, the Lancaster Chamber's Talent for Tomorrow healthcare employer collaborative, and community organizations for support services, the program uses a group model to help small and mid-sized health care employers share training costs.
IT SECTOR
Through the Supporting Pennsylvania’s IT Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative, six organizations are receiving a total of $2,165,231:
NuPaths, LLC (Statewide (Apprenticeship); Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Franklin, Lebanon, Perry, and York counties (Pre-Apprenticeship) - $400,000)
NuPaths will design and develop a new data analytics pre-apprenticeship program which will provide industry certifications and college credits, as well as prepare historically underserved job seekers for entry-level data analytics roles. NuPaths will also collaborate with the NextGen IT Industry Partnership through SCPa Works to create a data analytics apprenticeship.
Philadelphia Works (Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Berks, and Chester counties - $392,572)
Philadelphia Works will establish a new information security analyst registered apprenticeship program using a group model for up to two cohorts enrolling a total of 12 apprentices and at least three employer partners in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Partner4Work (Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette, Butler, Armstrong, and Indiana counties - $400,000)
Partner4Work is working to launch a new Apprenticeships in Data Analytics - Western Pennsylvania (AiDA-WPA) initiative to build a sustainable pathway for jobseekers and entry-level employees into high-wage, high-priority occupations that demand data analytics skills.
We Love Philly (Philadelphia County – $182,401)
We Love Philly’s IT sector registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship expansion initiative addresses the growing workforce shortages in cybersecurity, digital marketing, and e-commerce while tackling racial disparities in the tech industry.
The Philadelphia Academies, Inc. (Philadelphia County - $390,362)
The Philadelphia Academies, Inc. will create a new registered pre-apprenticeship in cybersecurity, potentially adding a pre-apprenticeship in data analytics in year two of the grant. The cybersecurity pre-apprenticeship is designed to remove barriers to accessing advanced IT training for non-traditional populations.
SCPa Works (Adams, Dauphin, Cumberland, Franklin, Perry, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties - $399,896)
The SCPa Cyber Defenders apprenticeship program, by Harrisburg University in collaboration with SCPa Works and the South Central NextGen IT Industry Partnership, is designed to address the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals in south central Pennsylvania. This initiative will establish a registered apprenticeship program that provides structured, hands-on training to develop a skilled and job-ready cybersecurity workforce.
Established in 2016, L&I's Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) is responsible for guiding and promoting the expansion and compliance of all registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs across the Commonwealth. The ATO currently supports 851 unduplicated program sponsors, 125 registered pre-apprenticeship programs, and 1,503 occupation-specific registered apprenticeship programs across the Commonwealth, with 15,641 registered apprentices currently active.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, please visit the website or follow L&I on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
# # #