This Week in Trades — April 20, 2026

DOL Opened $85 Million in Apprenticeship Expansion Grants

The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of approximately $85 million on April 13 to fuel Registered Apprenticeship expansion in the states and territories. The money is the fourth round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) grants, administered by the Employment and Training Administration. All 50 states and territories are eligible.

To qualify, states must commit to statewide expansion goals, reserve a share of funds for employers in priority industries, and demonstrate matching resources equal to at least 50 percent of their formula allocation. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer tied the funding to high-growth sectors including shipbuilding, AI infrastructure, and manufacturing — all of which lean heavily on licensed electricians on the jobsite.

For exam candidates, the practical read is this: apprenticeship funding flowing into your state increases the odds your local program accepts more cohorts, and states with federally recognized apprenticeship agencies must now publish average program approval times as a condition of the grant. The credential path still ends with the license exam, but the on-ramp gets wider when federal money is in play.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

OSHA Issued a Revised Heat National Emphasis Program on April 10

OSHA issued a revised National Emphasis Program for outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards on April 10, directive CPL 03-00-024. The directive is listed on OSHA's Heat Overview page and supersedes the earlier version of the same program.

The program names electrical utilities as one of the industries with indoor heat exposure hazards, alongside bakeries, steel mills, and foundries. On the outdoor side, construction — including road work and roofing — is called out specifically. For electricians, both descriptions are close to home: rooftop solar and roofing electrical work, plus utility linework, all fall inside the NEP's enforcement zone heading into summer.

OSHA's practical controls are unchanged from the previous program. Water, rest, and shade for outdoor crews. Acclimatization for workers new to heat. The agency points to WBGT — wet bulb globe temperature — as the preferred way to measure heat impact rather than air temperature alone. For working electricians, the detail that matters is the new directive is active now, before the weather turns.

Source: OSHA

Maryland Announced $5.2 Million in EARN Workforce Grants

Governor Wes Moore announced more than $5.2 million in Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland grants on April 16. The state said the awards will help more than 2,000 Marylanders train for in-demand careers.

Maryland is one of the strongest markets in the country for union electricians right now, thanks to Mid-Atlantic data center construction. State workforce dollars flowing into industry training stack directly on top of the federal apprenticeship money — Maryland is one of the 50 states eligible for the DOL SAEF $85 million pool announced three days earlier.

For anyone weighing the Maryland journeyman or master track, the takeaway is pipeline capacity. More funded training means more apprenticeship slots on the front end. The license exam is still the gate at the back end, and Maryland's requirements have not changed — the state still runs a two-tier system with separate journeyman and master licenses.

Source: Office of Governor Wes Moore

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