California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced a $37.2 million investment in apprenticeship and workforce training opportunities, including new spending on job readiness for youth.
One program will train and place young adults into health care careers. The Miguel Contreras Foundation will use a $3.5 million grant through the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships program to address health care staffing shortages while improving access to high-wage careers for underserved young people.
“California’s healthcare system depends on a skilled, supported workforce, yet too many young people face barriers to accessing these careers,” the foundation’s executive director, Armando Loza, said in a press release. “We are redefining workforce development through an innovative holistic approach.”
The two-year program aims to place 210 Southern California participants into jobs. The training program also includes “wraparound” services, stipends for transportation and childcare, and job-readiness coaching.
Over the past several years, apprenticeship opportunities have become an increasingly popular strategy at the state level. California has created roughly 670,000 apprenticeships since Newsom took office in 2019 through two different initiatives involving labor, employers and educational institutions.
“Apprenticeships and workforce training are most effective when education, industry, and workforce systems work together to create clear pathways into good jobs,” California Labor Secretary Stewart Knox said in a press release.
Last year, the state announced $15.4 million in grants to 29 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs serving “opportunity youth,” young adults ages 16 to 24 who are out of school or unemployed. Most are focused on industries experiencing significant labor shortages, such as health care and education, state officials said.
By providing payment or stipends during training periods, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs address a key need for these “opportunity youth.”
The state’s 2025 Master Plan for Career Education found that most workforce participants cannot cover the cost of education and workforce training out of pocket, and need financial support to participate.
A 2024 Century Foundation brief recommended that more organizations offer stipends to young adults for needs such as transportation, food and childcare — issues that often prevent them from completing workforce training programs.
