SHRM Backs Senate Bills to Expand Apprenticeships

SHRM supports two Senate bills introduced by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and colleagues that aim to make apprenticeships easier to launch, manage, and evaluate.

The measures, the Supporting Apprenticeships for Relevant Training (START) Act and the Apprenticeship Data Vision for Insight on College to Employment (ADVICE) Act, address two common barriers employers face when scaling apprenticeship programs: registration delays and inconsistent outcome data.

The START Act, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Jim Banks (R-IN), would accelerate the approval process for registered apprenticeship programs by streamlining review timelines for complete applications. For employers seeking to build new talent pipelines, clearer and faster approvals could reduce administrative delays and make apprenticeship programs easier to implement.

The ADVICE Act, introduced with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), focuses on improving apprenticeship data. The bill would help states and program sponsors collect and analyze key outcomes, such as wages, completion rates and retention. Better data would give employers clearer information to assess program performance and replicate successful models.

SHRM and other organizations support the bills, reflecting growing interest in apprenticeships as a practical workforce strategy. Simplifying registration and improving data transparency could make apprenticeships more accessible for employers facing persistent skills gaps and hard-to-fill roles.

Apprenticeships are underutilized, yet high-impact. According to SHRM’s 2026 Talent Trends survey, 84% of organizations that offer apprenticeship programs indicated that their programs have been somewhat effective or very effective at addressing talent shortages. The policy goal is straightforward: remove unnecessary barriers and improve transparency so more employers can adopt proven workforce development models.

For employers, the takeaway is clear. Federal lawmakers are looking for ways to make apprenticeship expansion less administratively burdensome and more measurable. While the proposals remain early in the legislative process, they signal continued momentum behind apprenticeship-based workforce development as a solution to current and future talent needs.