White House announces more than $244 million for apprenticeships

July 11 (UPI) -- The White House Thursday announced a $244 million investment in the Registered Apprenticeship system and new commitments to train and hire Philadelphia residents to work on major infrastructure projects.

White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su will travel to Williamsport, Pa., to announce the investment in 52 grantees throughout 32 states.

"This announcement marks the largest federal investment in U.S. history in Registered Apprenticeships-the gold-standard earn-and-learn training pathway," the White House said in a statement .

In the city of Philadelphia, new efforts are being announced Thursday that establish goals for hiring 50% of apprentices and 20% of journeypersons on public works projects from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The projects include $432 million in city water department projects over the next year, and $770 million in water projects under a permanent policy.

Philadelphia's airport will get $369 million over the next 18 months and the city's streets department will get $165 million in projects in the first year and $605 if the pilot project becomes permanent policy.

"The Biden-Harris Administration is laser-focused on creating training pipelines that ensure all Americans can access the hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs created by the President's Investing in America agenda-whether they went to college or not," the White House said.

To that end, the White House said, the administration has launched nine Investing In America Workforce Hubs across the country.

Those hubs are Philadelphia, Michigan, upstate New York, Milwaukee, Columbus, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Augusta, and Phoenix.

The hubs bring unions, local governments, employers, training providers, schools, community colleges, and other stakeholders together for partnerships designed to train and connect workers to high-demand sector jobs, according to the White House.

The White House said that across Pennsylvania the Biden administration has announced "more than $17 billion in federal investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing, which have catalyzed an additional $2.6 billion in related private-sector investments."

Just in Philadelphia, over a billion dollars is being invested to rebuild public infrastructure. That includes public transit, replacing lead water pipes and projects reconnecting neighborhoods.

"The new pilot program will apply to nearly $1 billion in projects and ensure that approximately 200 new apprentices are created in historically underserved communities," the White House said.

That hiring provision was in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.