On April 23rd, 2025, President Trump signed the “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future” Executive Order. This order aims to help equip the future skilled trades workers of America with the training, knowledge and experience that is needed to increase the number of skilled trades workers and apprentices in the U.S, and to invest in the reindustrialization and economic growth of America.

The current lack of skilled workers in most industries is no secret. President Trump cites a shortage of 447,000 workers in construction and 94,000 in durable goods workers in 2024. According to Chris Drew, president and CEO of Burnham Holdings, Inc., “The boiler industry continues to evolve with increased demand for energy efficient systems, an influx of refrigerant-based heating technologies and the expansion of process manufacturing facilities, so having well-trained and skilled technicians in the field will be critical for our nation’s success.”

"The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that more than 114,500 skilled workers will be needed by 2028. Investing in local workers and training them to execute the job properly and confidently is an integral part of Trump’s Executive Order, emphasizing the importance of building the skilled trades," said Dan Quinonez, the executive director of the PHCC Educational Foundation. "However, the effort is not only limited to closing the labor shortage gap and promoting the industry among newcomers, but also among the seasoned professionals looking to keep pace with sustainable technologies, smart appliances, and new regulations."

In accordance with the order, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Education will review Federal workforce development programs and submit a report that will identify opportunities to align federal workforce and education systems with the skills needed by emerging industries by July 22nd, 90 days after the signing of the order. It should cover:

• Reforms to agency policies and participant processes, and suggest program consolidation.
• Underperforming workforce programs with recommendations to reform, redirect, or eliminate them.
• Legal tools that enable innovation and integration for better employment outcomes.
• Ways to upskill current workers, including adapting to AI in the workplace.
• Alternatives to 4-year degrees, such as credentials tied to employer needs.
• Streamlining data collection by aligning metrics, reducing grantee burden, and using reliable data to measure outcomes.

Additionally, within 120 days of signing the order (August 21st), the same departments will submit another plan to meet and surpass 1 million active apprentices in the U.S. The report should explore how to grow and improve Registered Apprenticeship programs by:

• Expanding them into new, high-growth, and emerging industries.
• Scaling the model nationwide while increasing efficiency and participant support.
• Strengthening ties between apprenticeships and the education system, using tools like the Perkins V Act (also known as The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act) and federal student aid.

This Executive Order aims to change former administrations’ focus on 4-year colleges. According to the White House, only about half of college graduates end up at jobs that require college degrees. The Federal Government invests over $700 billion a year in American higher education, as opposed to the $4.1 billion spent on the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act and $1.4 billion on Career and Technical Education through the Perkins Act.

Experts within the industry are looking forward to these changes. “PHCC appreciates President Trump’s recent executive order regarding workforce development and the use of Registered Apprenticeships. This association looks forward to working with the U.S. Department of Labor’s rulemaking process and supports these efforts to streamline the pathway to apprenticeship.” Said Dan Callies, president of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association. “PHCC has over 40 years of experience in the use of apprenticeship and sees this as a positive step toward producing the skilled workers needed for the future.”