Overview

Created in fiscal year 2015-2016, the California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI) is a statewide grant program administered by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Workforce and Economic Development Division. The program supports the development of apprenticeship programs in areas such as health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, transportation, and other sectors beyond apprenticeship's traditional concentration in the building and construction trades. Programs are expected to develop approaches that can continue after time-limited grant funding ends.

As part of the California Community Colleges ongoing efforts to meet the state’s need for an educated and skilled workforce and the Governor’s goal of serving 500,000 earn-and-learn apprenticeships by 2029, apprenticeship is viewed as a mechanism to eliminate the barrier between education, training, and employment to create a seamless pathway. California has currently served roughly 100,000, and the state has a need to create innovative ways to scale the growth of registered apprenticeships.

In 2017, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors adopted the Vision for Success, with the main aim to make sure students from all backgrounds succeed in reaching their goals and improving their families and communities, eliminating achievement gaps once and for all. The CAI program supports 3 of the 6 goals of the Vision:

• Reduce equity gaps across all of the above measures through faster improvements among traditionally underrepresented student groups, with the goal of cutting achievement gaps by 40% within 5 years and fully closing those achievement gaps within 10 years.
• Increase by at least 20% the number of CCC students annually who acquire associates degrees, credentials, certificates, or specific skill sets that prepare them for an in-demand job.
• Increase the percent of exiting CTE students who report being employed in their field of study, from the most recent statewide average of 60% to an improved rate of 69% t—the average among the quintile of colleges showing the strongest performance on this measure.

The initiative operates primarily through CAI's New and Innovative Grant Program, which provides competitive grants to eligible California community college districts, county offices of education, and kindergarten-through-grade-12 local educational agencies. Programs must be or become registered with the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

For fiscal year 2025–26, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office made up to $30 million available through the New and Innovative Grant Program. Two major grant types are offered:

• Program Implementation Grants provide up to $1.5 million for as long as three years to implement recently registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship programs. Projects funded through the 2025–26 competition operate from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.
• Apprenticeship Expansion Grants provide up to $1 million for as long as two years for one-time activities that allow an established apprenticeship program to increase its ongoing capacity. Activities can include curriculum refinement, equipment and instructional materials, and recruitment and preparation of additional instructors. Projects in the 2025–26 competition operate through June 30, 2028.

Programs receiving implementation funding must be, or become, registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Expansion applicants must demonstrate employer demand for additional apprentices.

The Foundation for California Community Colleges provides statewide technical assistance for apprenticeship planning, implementation, sustainability, peer learning, and grant administration.

The LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network operates a statewide apprenticeship hub and eight regional hubs that support employer engagement, program coordination, sponsorship, and expansion.

Pre-Apprenticeship

California Division of Apprenticeship Standards-registered pre-apprenticeship programs prepare individuals to enter and succeed in registered apprenticeship. A registered pre-apprenticeship program must be formally associated with at least one registered apprenticeship program sponsor and combines industry-based training with classroom instruction. CAI implementation grants can support both registered apprenticeship and registered pre-apprenticeship programs.

Program Outcomes & Evaluation

The CAI has included performance requirements intended to connect public investment with apprenticeship participation and program sustainability. Under the fiscal year 2025–26 implementation grants, funded programs are expected to register at least one apprentice for every $15,000 awarded or one pre-apprentice for every $2,500 awarded, achieve specified participant retention and progression goals, and develop a five-year sustainability plan. Expansion grantees are similarly expected to demonstrate increases in program capacity and long-term sustainability.

Early evaluation of the initiative documented the establishment of new registered apprenticeship programs in industries where apprenticeship previously had been uncommon in California. Social Policy Research Associates conducted an evaluation and produced research briefs, case studies, and implementation resources in partnership with the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

A 2026 return-on-investment analysis found that, with limited exceptions, community college apprenticeship students earned more while enrolled and for at least two years after leaving their programs than students in comparable non-apprenticeship programs, and apprenticeship students generally had higher rates of course success. The report examines California apprenticeship broadly rather than only California Apprenticeship Initiative-funded programs.

Background

California established the CAI to support apprenticeship in high-growth sectors such as health care, information technology, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and other occupations in which apprenticeship had been less established. The state initially provided $15 million annually for the initiative. The initiative has continued through multiple funding rounds and is now administered primarily through the New and Innovative Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Grant Program.

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office connects the initiative to California's statewide goal of expanding earn-and-learn apprenticeship opportunities and describes the program as a mechanism for connecting education, training, and employment.

Relationship to Other California Apprenticeship Efforts

The initiative is only one component of California's broader statewide apprenticeship strategy and should be distinguished from California's broader apprenticeship system that includes:

• Apprenticeship Innovation Funding
• Apprenticeship Pathways Demonstration Project
• California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant
• California Apprenticeship Council Training Funds
• Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship Grant
• High Road Construction Careers

Together, these programs involve the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Apprenticeship Standards, California Workforce Development Board, employers, labor organizations, educational institutions, workforce organizations, intermediaries, and community organizations.

See: Statewide Apprenticeship Strategies: California | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library

Resources

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. (2026). California Apprenticeship Initiative. California Apprenticeship Initiative website

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. (2025). California Apprenticeship Initiative New and Innovative Grant Program: Fiscal year 2025–26 request for applications. Request for Applications

California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards. (2026). Pre-apprenticeship program registration. Pre-Apprenticeship Program Registration

Legislative Analyst's Office. (2021). The 2021–22 budget: California Community Colleges. Legislative Analyst's Office report