This week, Governor Kelly signed House Bill 2292, bipartisan legislation that promotes and expands apprenticeships with businesses, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and nonprofit groups through the use of tax credits and grants.
The Kansas Apprenticeship Act creates a matching grant program for eligible higher education institutions based on the number of engineering program graduates.
In September 2022, Governor Kelly established Kansas’ first Office of Registered Apprenticeship, which aims to increase the state’s workforce development efforts and meet the talent needs of businesses. Kansas lawmakers authorized $13 million in total annual funding.
While the Registered Apprenticeship model is expanding in established skilled trades industries such as manufacturing and construction, additional industries such as healthcare, IT, human resources, agricultural manufacturing, and distribution and logistics now take advantage of the programming.
Currently, there are more than 4,000 apprentices who live in Kansas. In the past year alone, the number of new apprentices has almost doubled (252 to 473), while the number of new programs went up from 5 to 12. The number of new occupations added also increased from 19 to 47.
Occupations that now have apprenticeship programs established include teacher educator, phlebotomist, welding bench technician, and cyber security. A full list of multi-employer intermediaries can be found here.
The Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship will have a series of statewide roundtable events with local workforce boards, joint apprenticeship training councils, multi-employer intermediaries, business and industry, and higher education.
- Wichita, July 25
- Great Bend, July 26
- Emporia, August 9
- Topeka and Kansas City, early August
The Office also will be visiting established Registered Apprenticeship programs, training providers, and higher education providers from Norton, Wichita, Garden City, Dodge City, and Hays in late July.
For more information about the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship and how your company or organization can get involved, click here.
