U.S. Department of Labor Awards $90 Million to Train Women in Union Construction and Clean Energy Trades

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration announced the award of $90 million in grant funding through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) and Apprenticeship Building America initiatives, delivering capital to 45 joint labor-management training programs across 24 states.

Expanding High-Wage Career Pathways in Building and Industrial Trades

The funding packages provide direct technical assistance, pre-apprenticeship tuition subsidies, and supportive childcare stipends to train and place 15,000 women into registered union apprenticeships in high-demand construction, semiconductor manufacturing, and clean energy fields. Selected programs train women as certified union electricians (IBEW), pipefitters (UA), ironworkers (IW), and carpenters (UBC), securing entry into middle-class careers with starting wages averaging $35 per hour.

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su stated that the historic infrastructure boom must empower women to build America's future, ensuring equal access to good-paying union jobs with benefits.

North America's Building Trades and Women in Trades Praise

Tradeswomen Taskforce and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) celebrated the grant awards, citing record enrollment in union apprenticeship programs.

Major clean energy developers highlighted that expanding trade apprenticeship capacity solves regional labor shortages on federal infrastructure projects.

Training Intake Rollout

Registered pre-apprenticeship cohorts will begin orientation across all 45 grantee training centers on October 1, 2026.