New National Initiative Will Help States Expand Access to High-Quality Apprenticeships

Competency-Based Education Network launches first-of-its-kind effort to accelerate apprenticeships nationwide; appoints former Alabama apprenticeship director Josh Laney to lead initiative

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), the international leader in re-centering learning around what people know and can do, today announced the official launch of the National Project on Apprenticeship Standards and Interoperability (PASI) to modernize and strengthen the U.S. apprenticeship system. PASI was created through a federally funded cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Labor and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Building upon Alabama's widely-acclaimed approach to apprenticeship as a driver of economic development, this initiative capitalizes on C-BEN's work at the intersection of learning and employment, ensuring competencies can count whether gained on the job or in the classroom. In coordination with the launch, C-BEN also appointed Josh Laney, who most recently served as director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, as its new vice president of apprenticeship and work-embedded learning earlier this year. Laney serves as project director for PASI.

PASI launches amidst growing momentum for the apprenticeship model across the U.S., with the number of active apprentices increasing 114% over the last decade and over half of states passing apprenticeship-related legislation in 2023 and 2024. Despite increased interest in earn-and-learn models, many states lack consistent frameworks and shared standards across education and workforce systems, making it difficult to replicate successful approaches. PASI is designed to address these systemic gaps by building a coordinated and public-facing infrastructure to scale high-quality apprenticeships nationwide. The new processes and systemic enhancements PASI will lead will be key for our national goal of having one million active apprentices.

"We can't rely on yesterday's approaches to education and training to prepare people for tomorrow's jobs. Apprenticeships aren't just the world's oldest model for job preparation — they're also the right approach to meet the needs of a fast-changing labor market," said Charla Long, president of C-BEN. "This initiative is about advancing skills-based ecosystems and helping states make good on the promise of apprenticeships as an engine of economic growth. We couldn't imagine a better leader for the project than Josh Laney, whose unmatched experience at the intersection of education, workforce development, and competency-based learning will be essential in driving PASI's mission forward."

PASI is a state-led and employer-driven initiative that advances the development and adoption of high-quality Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) by embedding competency-based design and aligning apprenticeship pathways more closely with both postsecondary education and evolving employer needs. PASI will improve consistency, strengthen industry alignment and adoption, and support interstate portability. Building from Alabama's five-part test for identifying in-demand occupations, PASI will give states, registration agencies, intermediaries, and funders an objective way to prioritize apprenticeship and work-embedded learning efforts that maximize economic and human capital impact.

"Apprenticeships solve two pressing economic challenges at once: they help businesses expand their pool of skilled talent while also creating new paths to opportunity and mobility for workers," said Josh Laney, whose new role will include guiding the implementation of PASI. "PASI builds on Alabama's efforts and other best practices from across the nation to bring greater quality and transparency to registered apprenticeship. I'm excited about the work we are kicking off and thrilled to be coordinating these efforts with registration agencies, sponsors, employers, and training providers. Together we will be building on what works and removing barriers that slow progress."

PASI builds on C-BEN's existing work with states to expand the apprenticeship model, including programs designed to help tackle manufacturing, nursing, and teaching shortages. In Alabama and Illinois, C-BEN has helped build talent marketplaces to help assess and validate skills.

"Apprenticeships are a vital tool for strengthening our workforce and creating new pathways to economic opportunity," said Dr. Jim Purcell, Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. "PASI builds on Alabama's longstanding commitment to innovation in education and training that helps further align postsecondary education and the workforce. We're proud to partner in this effort to build on Alabama's success and expand high quality apprenticeships across the country."

"The launch of this initiative is a pivotal step toward a modern apprenticeship system that responds to the economic challenges facing workers, employers, and states," said John Colborn, executive director of Apprenticeships for America, a national nonprofit trade association for apprenticeship intermediaries working to grow apprenticeships to the levels of international competitors. "PASI is building the blueprint to make it easier for employers and programs to start more high-quality apprenticeships that can open doors to economic opportunity and build a stronger and more resilient workforce."

To learn more about PASI, C-BEN will host a webinar on November 20th. To register for the webinar, visit this page. For additional information, email [email protected].

About the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)
The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) is revolutionizing how we design, experience, and measure learning throughout a lifetime. We believe learning should be measured by what you can do — the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lay the foundation for your success — and for more than 10 years we have been guiding our expansive network of education leaders, employers, policymakers, and changemakers towards quality competency-based models and practices. C-BEN is a U.S.-based non-profit organization

The National Project on Apprenticeship Standards and Interoperability (PASI) is supported by the U.S. Department of Labor. The project is 100% funded by $12.5million of federal funds.

SOURCE C-BEN