Gov. Bill Walker has signed an Administrative Order requiring apprentices to make up 15 percent of the workforce on all state projects.
Administrative Order 278, signed last week and effective Tuesday, mandates that at least 15 percent of project hours be assigned to registered apprentices. The order applies to every construction contract advertised by the Department of Transportation or Department of Administration and worth $2.5 million or more.
Registered apprentices must be enrolled in a federally registered and approved training program.
The order also mandates a study of the effects of implementing a similar order on state-leased oil and gas land.
The Department of Labor will oversee implementation of the order and supply a report in five years about its effectiveness. The order expires in 2021.
