What you need to know: Following the Governor’s visit to Fresno to unveil a new economic strategy that’ll help create more jobs in every region of the state, Governor Newsom announced a new round of grant funding that will help get Californians the skills they need for good-paying jobs.

SACRAMENTO - On November 22, 2024, Governor Newsom announced that the state is distributing $24.7 million to 65 apprenticeship programs across key sectors, including healthcare, transportation, education, advanced manufacturing, information technology, and the public sector.  

This is the second round of the Apprenticeship Innovation Funding (AIF) program, which helps foster economic growth by creating earn-and-learn pathways to meet current industry workforce demands. This funding will support 8,270 apprentices who would earn an average wage of nearly $32 per hour.

“We’re taking a bottom-up approach to making sure Californians get the skills they need to get good-paying jobs in every region of the state. These apprenticeships represent thousands of opportunities for Californians to jump into new careers and bring in higher wages for their families.” - Governor Gavin Newsom

California has set a goal to serve 500,000 apprentices by 2029, with 190,915 apprentices having been served to date as the state continues to be the nation’s leader in registered apprenticeships. 

Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint will guide the state’s investments in key sectors to drive sustainable economic growth, innovation, and access to good-paying jobs over the next decade. The complete Economic Blueprint will be released early next year, along with $120 million to support “ready-to-go” job-creating projects statewide within the next three years. 

What DIR Director Katie Hagen said:?“This investment reflects California’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that our labor sectors have access to a steady pipeline of skilled talent, while also opening doors for many Californians to train for high-demand careers and earn a paycheck.”

For more information about this announcement, click here.