A final rule revising 29 CFR part 30, Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship, appears in a Federal Register publication dated November 6, 2026. The rule revises the nondiscrimination requirements for Registered Apprenticeship programs. In the final rule's preamble, the Department said it added a sponsor duty to report to the Registration Agency whenever an enforcement entity or court issues a final determination that nondiscrimination law was violated against an apprentice or applicant for apprenticeship. Sponsors must also report the remedies those entities provided.
Under § 30.5(b)(1), sponsors have 60 days to notify the Registration Agency of such a final determination. A second provision, § 30.5(b)(2), has sponsors give the agency the details of any remedies prescribed by the enforcement entity or court. The Department said this disclosure is meant to help the Registration Agency draw up a compliance action plan that fits the remedy under § 30.5(c).
Compliance plans and enforcement
Once a final determination has been issued, the Registration Agency may work with the sponsor on a plan to address and remedy the issue. Any such plan must align with the remedies set by the enforcement entity or court that issued the determination. The Registration Agency must then monitor how the sponsor is carrying out the plan. If the agency determines that the sponsor is not following or implementing the plan, it may take enforcement action, which can include suspending the right to register new apprentices or starting deregistration proceedings.
The Department said the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) will continue State Apprenticeship Agency compliance reviews under the revised part 30 requirements. It noted that OA already conducts such reviews for compliance with parts 29 and 30. The Department also recommended, but did not require, that Registration Agencies consider Memoranda of Understanding or other arrangements with governmental enforcement agencies to stay aware of final nondiscrimination determinations against Registered Apprenticeship programs in their State. It added that an agency may consider contacting enforcement agencies when a program comes up for review to identify such determinations.
Recruitment and expected effect
The Department stated that the final rule does not stop sponsors from recruiting in ways that suit their business needs. That recruitment must not be illegal discrimination under Federal or State nondiscrimination laws, and it must also meet the streamlined nondiscrimination requirement for all sponsors at § 30.3. The Department expects that easing regulatory burdens on program sponsors will help the Registered Apprenticeship model expand and create more opportunities for career seekers.
Program background
Citing OA data in the preamble, the Department reported 26,628 active Registered Apprenticeship programs nationwide at the end of fiscal year 2025. More than 700,000 apprentices were receiving training in those programs. The preamble also describes training in more than 1,000 occupations determined to be apprenticeable, spanning industries from advanced manufacturing and construction to education, financial services, information technology and health care.
