About $1.72M from the Department of Labor to advance AI skills in registered apprenticeships — it begins in June 2027, the furthest-off start date in these records (WTIA Workforce Institute)
A definitive contract awarded by the Department of Labor, described as advancing artificial intelligence skills in registered apprenticeships. Obligations are about $1,718,875 over a one-year period from 2027-06-26 to 2028-06-25. A start date still nearly a year away makes it unusual among these records.
Contract key facts
- RecipientWTIA WORKFORCE INSTITUTE
- Contract value$1,861,375 (≈$1.9M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Labor
- Awarding sub-agencyOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2027-06-26 〜 2028-06-25
- Contract ID (PIID)1605C226C0006
The amount cited in the write-up ($1,718,875) is the figure at the time of writing. After later modifications the record now shows $1,861,375 (the details above are current).
Contract scope (original)
ADVANCING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SKILLS IN REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS
Key points
- A definitive contract from the Department of Labor, described as advancing AI skills in registered apprenticeships.
- It adds content to an existing vocational channel rather than building a new course of study.
- The period runs from 2027-06-26 to 2028-06-25, so as of 2026-09-01 it has not begun.
- Obligations are about $1,718,875 and outlays are recorded as zero.
- Of the 222 federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01, this is the only Department of Labor award.
- Across the 222 federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01, recipient names carry INC 89 times, LLC 77 and University 15.
1Loading AI onto an apprenticeship system
A registered apprenticeship is an arrangement for gaining skills while working, run by employers and organisations registered with the federal government. It has long been used in construction and manufacturing trades.
What this contract addresses is making that arrangement able to carry AI skills. Rather than building a new course of study, it adds content to a vocational channel that already exists. The choice reads as a route to workers outside the university system.
2The start date is nearly a year away
The period runs from 2027-06-26 to 2028-06-25, so as of 2026-09-01 it has not begun. Outlays recorded as zero follow directly from that.
Federal spending data lines up contracts that have finished and contracts that have yet to start in the same form. Summing amounts erases the distinction. Any aggregation needs to read start and end dates and separate out which stage a contract is at.
3A department appearing on a single record
Splitting the 222 federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01 by the awarding side gives 15 departments. Six of them appear on a single record, and the Department of Labor is one.
The Department of Defense accounts for 155, while labour, education, justice and agriculture also appear. The numbers are small, but they show that public spending touching AI is not solely a defense matter. A lone record is one of the few available views of how a department is approaching AI.
4What the recipients are made of
Counting the words that appear in the recipient names across the 222 federal spending records this site holds as of 2026-09-01 gives INC in 89, LLC in 77 and CORP or CORPORATION in 53. University appears in 15 and Institute in five.
Most are commercial firms, yet universities account for 15. In procurement at the research stage a university can be the direct recipient rather than a company. What closes a recipient's name is a rough handle on which layer a contract has reached.
Why it matters
Routes for spreading AI skills run through existing vocational frameworks as well as universities and specialist programmes. Whether they reach people who learn while working depends on whether content can be loaded onto the receiving structure. Public spending records indicate where that route is being placed.
FAQ
What is a registered apprenticeship?
Why are outlays zero?
Are there other Department of Labor records?
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：1605C226C0006