The Maine Department of Labor has published its latest annual report for the Maine Apprenticeship Program, showing an expansion of pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships in fields such as construction and education.According to the report, 2023 represented the highest growth of new apprentices registered in the last five years. In 2023, 3,088 apprentices were actively working on industry-recognized skill certifications. That included 1,285 new apprentices registered. In 2023, 276 certificates were issued, down from 395 in 2022.The median age of apprentices in 2023 was 26 years old. The vast majority (79.4 percent) of registered apprentices were male. The Maine Apprenticeship Program has been around since 1941, is governed by the Maine Department of Labor and state and federal laws and is funded by a combination of state general funds and discretionary federal grants.Registered apprenticeships require at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and a minimum of 144 hours of formal coursework for each year of the apprenticeship. The report shows that the median annual earnings for those who completed an apprenticeship in Maine between 2017 and 2023 more than doubled from the year before entering the program to the year after completion.The report also found that 74 percent of all people who completed an apprenticeship were working with their sponsoring employer in the year after they completed the program, and 52 percent continued working with their sponsoring employer three years after the program.A pre-apprenticeship program was added in the spring of 2023, offering programming in a wide variety of sectors, including health care, construction, automotive technology, manufacturing, aquaculture and hospitality.Through 2023, a total of 30 new pre-apprenticeship programs were certified, 672 pre-apprentices were enrolled, and 490 individuals (72.92 percent) successfully completed their programs. Of the 490 who completed by the end of 2023, 147 (30 percent) became registered apprentices.During 2023, five sponsors hired and supported 55 apprentices already working in Maine schools and childcare settings to advance them along the career pathway to become a certified teacher, while continuing to earn an income. Educator apprenticeship programs in Maine are unique as they include up to 60 college credits for demonstrated competency on the job for registered apprentices. Local IBEWs in Portland and Augusta have the most apprentices, combining for more than 330 apprentices. Southern Maine Community College, Northern Light Health and Cianbro all have more than 100 apprentices registered in Maine.More than half of all apprentices in Maine (55 percent) are in the construction sector. Electricians comprise 37 percent of all apprentices registered in Maine. At 13 percent, the health care sector was the second largest sector served, followed by manufacturing at 12 percent.