WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer celebrated National Apprenticeship Day today by welcoming the International Association of Fire Fighters for a ceremonial signing event highlighting the importance of apprenticeships and ways the program can unlock a multitude of possibilities for the American worker.The National Apprenticeship Day 2025 event recognized IAFF’s new National Apprenticeship Guideline Standards and honored the union’s commitment to training their firefighters and emergency personnel through the Registered Apprenticeship model. Since its inception in 2015, National Apprenticeship Week has been an annual nationwide celebration for employers, educators, state agencies, unions, and many others to showcase how Registered Apprenticeships improve and expand career pathways for American workers, while helping employers drive economic growth across all industries. In those 10 years, more than 1.9 million people participated in more than 10,000 National Apprenticeship Week events, and over 1,800 proclamations have been issued in support of Registered Apprenticeships. Typically celebrated in the fall, National Apprenticeship Week will move to the spring beginning in 2026 following stakeholder feedback. The Trump Administration has committed to enhancing and expanding the National Apprenticeship system, with two recent executive orders, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future” and “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.” These decisive actions will unlock the limitless potential of the American worker by strengthening Registered Apprenticeships, modernizing workforce development programs, educating America’s youth to keep up with technology advancements, and investing in upskilling workers to meet current labor market demands.National Apprenticeship Day 2025 will include nearly 1,000 events and proclamations in all 50 states and territories across the country. These events highlight innovation and cooperation between employers, apprentices and apprentice graduates, educational institutions, community-based organizations, federal partners, industry associations, intermediaries, labor unions, state agencies, elected officials, and many others. “As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Day, this administration remains committed to expanding and strengthening registered apprenticeships, guaranteeing the skilled workforce necessary for businesses to thrive,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “I will personally ensure the Labor Department is helping to fulfill our bold goal of exceeding one million active apprentices and empower American workers to fill high-demand jobs that will secure economic prosperity. I was honored to host firefighters with the International Association of Fire Fighters today as we celebrated progressing toward that goal with new apprenticeship standards for first responders.”   Find a National Apprenticeship Day event near you and learn how to participate.