There are a variety of resources that can help fund apprenticeship training. Some of these include:
• Tax Credits: Eligible employers can receive a federal tax credit ranging from $1,200 to $9,600 for each qualified employee hired under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program, or $9,000 over a two year period for employees hired who were long-term public benefit recipients prior to hire.
Tax credits currently available for new hires are available at the TWC’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit website.
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): is supportive of Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP). Local Workforce Development Boards can help finance the primary components of RAP including on-the-job training, related training instruction, and supportive services, if the individuals (apprentices or prospective apprentices) are eligible for WIOA services as a qualified Adult, Dislocated Worker, or Youth as defined by WIOA criteria.
Please visit our Directory of Workforce Solutions Offices to locate the office nearest you.
• Funding opportunities to support program creation or expansion:
Federal Apprenticeship Funding: Each year the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announces funding opportunities, some of which are focused on apprenticeship expansion activities. To view current DOL funding opportunities please visit DOL’s Grants website.
State Apprenticeship Funding: • Department of Labor (DOL) provides federal Apprenticeship Expansion funding to TWC—branded as ApprenticeshipTexas—to support apprenticeship expansion by engaging industry and workforce intermediaries, developing apprenticeship programs, and outreaching to new sectors and under-represented populations. Expansion funding is accessed through a partnership with Local Workforce Development Boards or community/technical colleges. DOL funding has sought to build on previous efforts to increase the number of apprentices in Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs). Funds are announced through competitive Request for Applications (RFA) process.
All competitive TWC funding opportunities can be found by browsing postings for the Texas Workforce Commission on the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website.
• TWC—as provided in Texas Education Code, Chapter 133—grants funds to local education agencies (LEAs) and apprenticeship committees to support the costs of job-related classroom instruction in registered apprenticeship training programs. Registered apprenticeship training programs must partner with an LEA or their own apprenticeship committee, which act as fiscal agents for Apprenticeship Training Program funds. The LEA and the apprenticeship committee are the funding link between the registered apprenticeship training program and TWC. Funding cycles are open in June each year.
Submission forms and resources are available at the Apprenticeship Program website.