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| 12 Nov 2026 | |
| Written by Harry Leech | |
| Advocacy Resources |
Apprenticeships aren’t bought, they’re sold. Selling them takes intermediaries with the staff, employer relationships, and staying power to do it at scale. Today’s federal apprenticeship funding works against that. It comes in short-term, competitive grants that pay for promises rather than results, and it leaves the field without the predictable investment needed to grow.
The Growth for Apprenticeship in New Sectors (GAINS) Act, AFA’s pay-for-performance legislation, changes that. It ties federal funding directly to outcomes: apprentices hired, retained, and progressing through their programs. Taxpayers pay only for results. Intermediaries and sponsors get the consistent, per-apprentice support they need to recruit employers, launch programs, and keep them going.
Pay-for-performance is already proving itself. The Department of Labor’s recent incentive payments program and state models like Maryland and California’s show the approach works. The GAINS Act would build on that momentum and make it a lasting part of the national apprenticeship system.
Read a summary of the GAINS act here: GAINS Act: Summary
