Maryland has launched a $5 million program to incentivize small businesses and other employers to hire and train registered apprentices.
“This program is a direct investment in a proven model: apprenticeships that prepare and make Maryland’s economy more competitive,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. “By removing financial barriers for employers, we are expanding pathways to work, wages, and wealth for Marylanders.”
Now through the Maryland Apprenticeship Incentive Program, apprenticeship sponsors and employers can receive up to $3,000 per adult registered apprentice, or $7,500 per high school age registered apprentice.
Funding for the program comes from the Registered Apprenticeship Investment for a Stronger Economy (RAISE) Act of 2025, which Moore signed into law last year. The act provides $5 million in incentives for Fiscal Year 2026.
The incentive is meant to offset the costs that employers would incur from hiring and training apprentices, including instructional expenses like tuition, fees, books, and materials; mentorship and on-the-job learning expenses; marketing materials and other recruitment expenses; costs related to disability accomodations; and supportive services like transportation assistance and essential equipment.
In turn, the goal is to help grow Maryland’s workforce.
“Apprenticeship is one of Maryland’s most effective tools for connecting residents with meaningful careers and helping employers shape the workforce they need to grow, and the Maryland Apprenticeship Incentive Program will help more employers participate,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Portia Wu in a statement. “By supporting the real costs of training, we are helping businesses thrive and helping Marylanders gain the skills they need to succeed.”
To be considered, employers must submit an application within 30 days before or after an apprentice initially registers with the Office of Apprenticeship. Apprentices must be within their first year of employment as a registered apprentice, and they must remain employed and registered for at least seven months after they submit an application in order for employers to be reimbursed for related costs.
Job seekers and students looking to be hired as an apprentice, as well as employers looking to hire an apprentice, can use the state’s Apprenticeship Locator tool.
A record number of 14,000 Marylanders participated in apprenticeship programs in 2025.
Moore announced last month that more than 500 employers had recruited and hired more than 5,200 new registered apprentices. Now, more than 1,000 Maryland businesses, organizations, and agencies employ and train registered apprentices.
“Employers who offer registered apprenticeships are making a real investment in their workers and in their organizations,” said Office of Apprenticeship Director Christopher MacLarion in a statement. “We know that those investments pay off in the long term, and we want to make sure that finances are not the reason why an employer misses out on the opportunity to grow their workforce and help workers launch new careers. This program will help companies of all sizes build the workforce they need by tapping talent in their own communities.”
For more about the Maryland Apprenticeship Incentive Program, visit labor.maryland.gov.
