The Trump administration wants to increase apprenticeships

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Consider This from NPR

Episode: The Trump administration wants to increase apprenticeships
Date: March 11, 2026
Host: Scott Detrow
Correspondent: Andrea Hsu
Featured Guest: Steve Presley, General Manager, Virco Manufacturing

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Overview

This episode explores the Trump administration’s push to expand apprenticeships as a practical solution to America’s shortage of skilled workers in manufacturing and other industries. Scott Detrow and NPR labor correspondent Andrea Hsu examine whether these efforts, such as ambitious targets and federal incentives, are meeting the country’s needs—and what’s happening on the factory floor in Arkansas, where the issue is felt daily.

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Key Discussion Points

The State of American Manufacturing (00:00 – 01:56)

• Virco Manufacturing in Arkansas makes school furniture from raw steel, illustrating the intersection of traditional manufacturing and modern technology.
• Once employing 1,500 people, the plant now has about 500 staff members amid increased automation—robots weld the steel, but skilled workers are still essential for operating and maintaining such technology.
• Challenges:
  • Aging workforce and retirements: “We’ve probably had 250 years retire since the first of the year.” – Steve Presley (01:51)
  • Difficulty hiring skilled labor in a strong local economy with a lot of competition.

Trump Administration’s Apprenticeship Initiative (01:56 – 05:29)

• Trump’s administration set a bold goal: 1 million active apprentices.
• Apprenticeships are seen as a “win-win”: workers get paid while they learn, and companies build the skilled workforce they need.
• While the model is longstanding in U.S. building trades (plumbers, carpenters, electricians), other sectors lag behind compared to countries like Germany and Switzerland.
• Recent Actions:
  • Trump signed an executive order to spur growth in apprenticeships.
  • The Labor Department promoted the initiative, including via social media:
    “The new era of American dominance will be forged not by woke universities, but by the grit of our skilled workers.” – Labor Department promo, quoted by Andrea Hsu (04:37)
• Setbacks:
  • Recent job losses: 92,000 jobs lost last month, tempering optimism for apprenticeships.
  • Grant cuts: Trump administration canceled grants that were helping expand apprenticeships, including in clean energy.
  • No ask to Congress for additional funding; only $285 million appropriated in recent years.

Funding: Is It Enough? (05:29 – 06:30)

• Experts argue funding is insufficient for truly transformative expansion:
  • “I think we’re looking at a number that has to start with a B in order to make any progress on apprenticeships in the United States.” – Zach Boren, Apprenticeships for America (05:48)
• Of the allocated funds, about $180 million is available for incentive programs in IT, AI, defense, healthcare, and manufacturing, aiming to generate roughly 50,000 new apprenticeships—not near the million-mark goal.
• The hope: initial incentives will create momentum as companies see return on investment.

On the Ground: Apprenticeships at Virco Manufacturing (06:30 – 07:39)

• Steve Presley of Virco didn’t first hear about apprenticeships from the federal government, but through a local nonprofit called Apprenticely.
• Virco is setting up a small but growing apprenticeship program, supported by federal incentives—$3,000 per apprentice.
• Presley’s main motivation is sustainability and legacy:
  • “In the middle of the summer, when we have say 20 of these assembly lines running, the radios are cranked up, all you hear are the rivet machines and the screw guns and all that, and it's truly like American manufacturing at its finest.” – Steve Presley (07:25)
• Presley believes the future of his company depends on a skilled, replenished workforce—not merely on small federal grants.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On generational change:
  “My dad drug our butt in here and we worked every Saturday and Sunday and we worked in maintenance department.” – Steve Presley (00:29)

• On the workforce challenge:
  “That’s where we’re really behind the eight ball.” – Steve Presley (01:28)

• On federal funding needs:
  “I think we’re looking at a number that has to start with a B in order to make any progress on apprenticeships in the United States.” – Zach Boren (05:48)

• On company pride:
  “It's truly like American manufacturing at its finest.” – Steve Presley (07:25)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:56: Virco Manufacturing example, the shrinking and aging workforce, and manufacturing’s modern challenges.
• 03:08–03:33: Andrea Hsu explains the appeal and workings of apprenticeships.
• 04:20–05:23: Assessment of Trump administration’s actions, grant cancellations, and lack of additional funding.
• 05:29–06:30: Zach Boren critiques federal funding as insufficient.
• 06:35–07:39: Andrea Hsu describes how apprenticeships are playing out at Virco; Steve Presley shares his optimism and vision.

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Conclusion

This concise episode highlights the divide between ambitious federal targets and the practical, on-the-ground effort required to grow America’s skilled workforce. While companies like Virco Manufacturing are eager for solutions and federal support, experts and insiders caution that without much greater investment, meaningful change may remain elusive.

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Transcript

[Scott Detrow]

Virco Manufacturing is doing exactly the kind of work that President Trump says America needs more of. It starts with raw steel and turns it into the furniture you see in schools.

[Steve Presley]

We're going to bend it, manipulate it, spot, weld it to make case goods. Teacher's desks, office, administration desk, vertical lateral file cabinets, all metal bookcases, things like that.

[Scott Detrow]

That's Steve Presley, vice president and general manager. He and his brother both started at age 16 when their dad was the plant manager.

[Steve Presley]

My dad drug our butt in here and we worked every Saturday and Sunday and we worked in maintenance department.

[Scott Detrow]

The plant is in central Arkansas. It once employed 1500 people, but today it's down to around 500. And it is far more high tech. They've got robots that weld steel, a state of the art paint system, but they still need people to operate and maintain all of that equipment. On the campaign trail, creating manufacturing jobs is one of the first things Trump mentioned in his big economic speeches.

[Steve Presley]

But we're here today, today to talk about how we're going to launch a historic buildup of American manufacturing muscle.

[Scott Detrow]

So the tariffs and tax cuts and regulation rollbacks, Trump says they're all aimed at sparking a manufacturing renaissance. It's worth noting that the manufacturing industry has lost around 100,000 jobs during Trump's second term so far, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And none of those measures really helps with the big problem facing Steve Presley at Virgo Manufacturing. How to find enough skilled workers.

[Steve Presley]

That's where we're really behind the eight ball.

[Scott Detrow]

Hiring is hard in Arkansas, not for the reasons you might be thinking.

[Steve Presley]

You know, everybody can make fun of Arkansas, say what they want to say, but this is a really strong economy here. And with a strong economy, there's a

[Scott Detrow]

lot of competition for labor, especially skilled labor. Adding to the problem is that here at Virgo and across manufacturing, the workforce is aging. They're losing a lot of collective experience.

[Steve Presley]

We've probably had 250 years retire since the first of the year.

[Scott Detrow]

You don't hear about it as much as the rest of his economic agenda. But Trump does have an idea to address this problem. Consider this. The Trump administration wants to grow apprenticeships to train upskilled workers on the job. The goal is to reach 1 million active apprentices. So is it doing enough to make this happen? From npr, I'm Scott Detrowed.

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[Scott Detrow]

It's Consider this from npr. President Trump is quite famous for offering apprenticeships get fired. But mostly they went to the winners of the reality TV show he hosted called the Apprentice. In the real world, his administration does have ambitious goals about generating actual apprenticeships, and NPR labor correspondent Andrea Hsu has been digging into them. Hey there.

[Andrea Hsu]

Hey, Scott.

[Scott Detrow]

So why apprenticeships? How does this work?

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, well, the whole idea behind apprenticeships is you earn while you learn. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a college degree. You can become a highly skilled worker on the job while you're getting paid. And companies can develop exactly the workforce they need. It's a model that administrations going back to at least President Obama have really pushed for as the solution to the skills gap that US Employers face.

[Scott Detrow]

Walk me through an example of where this has worked really well.

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, well, here in the US the building trades unions have long used apprenticeships. They run apprenticeship programs for aspiring plumbers and carpenters and sheet metal workers and electricians. And those apprentices spend a little bit of time in a classroom and a lot of time on the job, but working under mentors and they're getting paid while they do it. But outside construction, apprenticeships haven't had widespread appeal in the US that's starting to change. But it's a real contrast to countries like Germany and Switzerland, where apprenticeships are far more common, including in sectors like retail and healthcare. And it so one of the Trump administration's goals, and really the goals of previous administrations, too, has been to expand this earn as you learn model into many more industries.

[Scott Detrow]

What specifically has the administration done so far?

[Andrea Hsu]

Well, so last April, which was almost a year ago, Trump signed an executive order pledging to reach or surpass 1 million active apprenticeships. And the Labor Department has been promoting this goal, including on its Instagram page.

[Steve Presley]

The new era of American dominance will be forged not by woke universities, but by the grit of our skilled workers.

[Andrea Hsu]

And that got a lot of longtime boosters of apprenticeships excited. But, but since then, there has been some tempering of that excitement. First of all, Scott, the labor market is not that great right now. Last month, employers shed some 92,000 jobs. So that doesn't bode well for apprenticeships. Also last year, amid all the doge cuts, the Trump administration actually canceled a whole bunch of grants for organizations that were working to grow apprenticeships, including in sectors like clean energy. And here's the other Thing. Trump hasn't asked Congress for any more money to support his goal of expanding apprenticeships. Congress has appropriated just 285 million doll for the cause for the last several years.

[Scott Detrow]

It's one of those figures that's a lot of money. But is it a lot of money when it comes to a big federal program? Is that enough to achieve these goals?

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, well, the Trump administration seems to think so, but not so many others that I spoke with Zach Boren at the advocacy group Apprenticeships for America. Put it this way, I think we're looking at a number that has to start with a B in order to make any progress on apprenticeships in the United States.

[Scott Detrow]

Okay, so billions. B. Billions.

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, billions. Now, I will say the Trump administration is using some of the money Congress has allocated around 180 million to set up these incentive funds to encourage the creation of apprenticeships in a bunch of key sectors like IT, AI, healthcare, defense, manufacturing. Now, the incentives being offered through these funds, it's not a whole lot of money compared to the actual cost of running an apprenticeship. And you know, the funds are limited. They're expected to create maybe some 50,000 new apprenticeships. So that's not enough to hit Trump's goal of 1 million. But the administration's hope is that this will jumpstart apprenticeships in new industries. And once companies see the returns on investment, which can be substantial, they'll be hooked.

[Scott Detrow]

How is all this playing out at the furniture factory that you visited in Arkansas?

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, well, Steve Presley, the general manager, is really excited. You know, Verco Manufacturing is a great American story. It's a 75 year old company that's making the classroom desks and chairs and lunch tables that I've seen in my kids school. And yet Presley has been worried that he doesn't have the high skilled workforce he needs to be competitive and to be successful. He actually first heard about apprenticeships not through the federal government, but through a nonprofit in Arkansas called Apprenticely, which helped them set up their first two apprenticeships. And now Presley is working with them to create another 20 apprenticeships, really to build a deeper bench. You know, he is happy about these federal incentives. He stands to get a little over $3,000 per apprentice. But what he's way more excited about is just having a plan for the future. And he says this company has a future that's worth fighting for.

[Steve Presley]

In the middle of the summer, when we have say 20 of these assembly lines running, the radios are cranked up, all you hear are the rivet machines and the screw guns and all that, and it's truly like American manufacturing at its finest.

[Andrea Hsu]

And Scott, he knows that can't happen without the right workers in place.

[Scott Detrow]

NPR labor correspondent Andrea Hsu, thank you so much.

[Andrea Hsu]

Thanks for having me.

[Scott Detrow]

This episode was produced by Connor Donovan and Mia Benkat. It was edited by Patrick Jaran Watananan and Emily Kopp. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. Consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

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