BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Department of Labor on Tuesday announced a $2,854,797 award from the United States Department of Labor’s (USDOL) State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant. This grant is the third in a series of expansion grants awarded to the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Program (MATP) and will be used to further invest in the state’s registered apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and apprentices.

“We are particularly pleased that Maryland’s recent progress in growing apprenticeships has been recognized by this additional investment of federal funds. Apprenticeship has flourished under the Hogan administration, and this new grant award will allow our state to continue growing beyond our recent, noteworthy accomplishment of exceeding 10,000 apprentices for only the second time in the history of the program,” said Acting Labor Secretary James Rzepkowski.

With the latest State Apprenticeship Expansion Grant from USDOL, Maryland has now been awarded over $6 million since 2016 to expand registered apprenticeship programs. These funds have allowed Maryland to increase the quality and quantity of assistance offered to registered apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and apprentices. As a result, MATC reports that the number of registered apprenticeships has increased by over 30% during the past three years.

The state is continuing to align apprenticeships with Maryland’s workforce system to ensure that traditional apprenticeship opportunities expand alongside the creation of new opportunities grounded in labor market demand. This third round of funding will be used to provide additional staffing and outreach to businesses interested in either creating new apprenticeship programs or expanding and diversifying existing apprenticeship programs to meet their talent pipeline needs.