Nonunion apprenticeship programs and participants were responsible for the majority of growth in construction registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) over the past five years, according to a recent Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) data.
“The DOL data shows ABC and merit shop contractors are leading the industry in growing both registered apprenticeship programs and innovative workforce development pipelines,” said Kristen Swearingen, ABC vp of government affairs. “ABC supports the DOL building on this success by streamlining and simplifying apprenticeship regulations while providing incentives for better RAP performance.”
ABC’s analysis found the merit shop sector, which includes ABC members, is “most responsible for increasing access to registered apprenticeships in fiscal years 2020-2025.”
Key findings include:
- In 2025, 93% of the construction industry’s RAPs were nonunion providers.
- Participants in nonunion RAPs increased by 60% from 2020 to 2025.
- The number of nonunion RAPs has grown by 18% since 2020.
- Completers of nonunion RAPs increased by 47% from 2020 to 2025.
- In 2025, 31% of all construction industry RAP participants were in nonunion programs.
“ABC champions registered apprenticeships as a key solution in construction workforce development,” said Swearingen. “ABC’s 67 chapters educate craft, safety and management professionals using innovative and flexible learning models like just-in-time task training, competency-based progression and work-based learning, in addition to more than 450 federal and state RAPs in over 20 occupations across America.”
