Wisconsin Sets Apprenticeship Record for Fourth Year in a Row
More than 18,000 apprentices worked for over 3,000 employers in 2025.
Construction site. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
For the fourth year in a row, Wisconsin’s century-old registered apprenticeship program set a new participation record.
There were more than 18,000 apprentices in the program with more than 3,000 employers in 2025, according to the state Department of Workforce Development.
Gov. Tony Evers announced the record-high enrollment during his State of the State address this week.
“We’ve had the highest ever enrollment in our registered apprenticeship programs ever in state’s history for several years in a row,” he said.
The program had more than 15,000 participants in 2022, the most at that time since 2001. That rose to 16,384 apprentices in 2023, 17,089 in 2024 and 18,524 in 2025.
According to the Department of Workforce Development, more employers view the program as a way to recruit, train and retain workers.
The program also launched five new apprenticeships last year for in-demand fields. They include bus and motor coach mechanics and operators, dental assistants, paramedics and surgical technologists.
In a statement, DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek said the agency is proud to see the apprenticeship program grow, calling it a “proven solution that supports local talent to address the state’s worker quantity challenge.”
“More and more, Wisconsin employers recognize that apprenticeship programs, which provide dual classroom and applied instruction, meet their growing employment needs and are a key part of the economy of the future,” she stated.
According to the DWD, there are more than 200 apprenticeship jobs across multiple industries in Wisconsin.
David Polk, director of DWD’s Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, said in a statement that industry partnerships across the state have been “essential to the ongoing success of Wisconsin apprenticeship.”
“Through the engagement of our Wisconsin Apprenticeship Advisory Council and employer, education, and training partners, our apprenticeship programs continue to fuel economic momentum with a model that meets industry demands while creating opportunities for new participants and new industries,” he said.
The agency also reports increasing demand for youth apprenticeship with more than 99 percent of the state’s public school districts with a high school offering youth apprenticeship.
According to the DWD, 11,344 high school juniors and seniors were enrolled in the youth apprenticeship program in the 2024-25 school year. That’s an increase of 14 percent from the previous year.
Wisconsin sets apprenticeship record for fourth year in a row was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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