Wisconsin’s Registered Apprenticeship Program had 18,524 apprentices across a record of more than 3,095 employers in 2025.
This marks the fourth consecutive year the registered apprenticeship program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, has broken participation records. Wisconsin launched five new apprenticeship programs in 2025 to train individuals for in-demand careers such as bus/motor coach mechanics and operators, dental assistants, paramedics, and surgical technologists.
“We’re proud to see the continued growth of Wisconsin Apprenticeship, a proven solution that supports local talent to address the state’s worker quantity challenge,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “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.”
More new RA programs are being introduced in 2026, including:
- A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist program, recently started at UW-Health. It is the ninth apprenticeship program offered to UW-Health employees, and one of 13 health care related RA programs across the state.
- A two-year Educational Assistant program, slated to begin later this year, will lay the foundation for people who are seeking a teaching career. It will align with the Wisconsin Technical College System’s Foundations of Teacher Education associate degree program where participants earn a degree with 60 transferable credits. When complete, participants can work as a paraprofessional or continue into a Teacher RA pathway.
