St. Louis Picked by Bloomberg Philanthropies for Nine-City, $90M High-School-to-Trades Initiative
Date Posted: June 9, 2026
Posted In: Featured, What we are thinking about, Workforce,
by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum
St. Louis has been selected as one of just nine regions nationwide to participate in a new $90 million Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative designed to create direct pathways from high school into high-wage skilled trades careers.
The announcement places the St. Louis region at the center of a national effort to address critical workforce shortages in construction, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, welding, carpentry and other infrastructure-related trades. The initiative will provide students with industry coursework, paid on-the-job training and direct access to Registered Apprenticeships while bringing together school districts, labor unions, employers and local governments around a shared workforce strategy.
Focused on High School
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the initiative June 8, describing it as the first national program exclusively focused on helping high school students move directly into skilled trades careers while addressing labor shortages that are constraining economic growth across the country.
St. Louis joins Boston, Chattanooga, Detroit, Houston, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, D.C., and the state of New Jersey as launch sites for the effort. Bloomberg Philanthropies expects the program to serve approximately 15,000 students nationwide, with about 2,000 advancing into Registered Apprenticeships.
“Millions of good-paying jobs are going unfilled, and too many students never get a chance to learn the skills necessary to get them. This new initiative will help change that,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City. “By bringing schools, unions, and employers together as partners, we can offer students free training and credentials that lead directly to rewarding careers. Jobs in the skilled trades helped build America’s middle class, and now they can help a new generation enter and strengthen it.”
The initiative focuses on three core strategic pillars:
Integrated Apprenticeships: Students begin apprenticeship pathways while still in high school, earning industry-recognized credentials, hands-on training, and advanced standing in Registered Apprenticeship programs before graduation – enabling them to enter the workforce at a higher pay grade upon graduation.
Applied Technical Curriculum: Technical instruction is co-designed with unions and employers to reflect real-world job requirements, combining hands-on learning, modern technologies, and rigorous academics aligned to apprenticeship standards.
Seamless Career Launch: Formal partnerships among school districts, governments, unions, and employers create direct pipelines from the classroom into Registered Apprenticeships and long-term careers.
Parameters for Selection
The nine participating regions were selected based on localized labor market data and long-term projections for career growth in the trades. By focusing on areas with the strongest demand for new talent, the initiative will help ensure students are training for careers that are aligned with the actual economic needs of their communities.
According to Bloomberg Philanthropies, the initiative seeks to replace what is often a fragmented collection of training programs with a coordinated system that connects students directly to employers and apprenticeship opportunities. Participating students will receive training at no cost while gaining exposure to career paths that offer family-sustaining wages without requiring a four-year college degree.
For St. Louis, the initiative aligns with ongoing efforts by industry leaders, workforce organizations, unions, educational institutions and employers to strengthen apprenticeship pathways and expand access to construction careers. The region has increasingly focused on creating structured “learn and earn” opportunities that allow students to enter the workforce while continuing their education.
The new program also builds on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ broader commitment to career and technical education. Since 2016, the organization has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in workforce-focused education initiatives across the country, including previous career pathway programs and healthcare-focused high schools. With this latest announcement, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ total investment in career and technical education initiatives reaches $570 million.
Additional details regarding participating St. Louis partners and program implementation are expected to be announced in the coming months.