The “America at Work” listening tour is a 50‑state series of visits where Labor Secretary Lori Chavez‑DeRemer meets directly with workers, unions, employers, and local leaders to hear about their real‑world challenges and opportunities at work. The stated goals are to use that feedback to shape and modernize federal labor policy, strengthen pathways to good‑paying jobs (including apprenticeships and skills training), cut unnecessary red tape while protecting workers’ rights, and “put American workers first.”
A “registered” apprenticeship is an apprenticeship program that has been formally reviewed and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency. Once registered, the program meets national quality standards and gives apprentices structured paid on‑the‑job training, related instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential, along with access to certain public funding and supports.
The news release does not state a specific timeframe for the “over 300,000 new apprentices” and “2,512 new apprenticeship programs,” only that they were added “at her direction” during Secretary Chavez‑DeRemer’s tenure and that this progress helps move toward the goal of 1 million active apprentices. Public apprenticeship data show that roughly 300,000 new apprentices were added in fiscal year 2024 nationally, but the release does not explicitly tie its figures to a named fiscal or calendar year, so the exact period for these precise counts is not clearly defined.
Polaris Forge 2 is a planned large‑scale artificial‑intelligence data center campus (an “AI Factory”) being built on a roughly 900‑acre site near Harwood/Fargo, North Dakota. It is designed for about 280 megawatts of computing capacity, with two initial facilities and room to expand, and is intended to provide high‑performance infrastructure for AI and other compute‑intensive workloads. The project is being developed and operated by Applied Digital Corporation, a Dallas‑based company that designs and runs high‑performance, energy‑efficient data centers for AI, cloud, and related uses.
In this set of visits, the Department of Labor mainly highlighted support for AI‑related skills and literacy rather than specific software tools. The Fargo stop emphasized preparing workers for AI‑driven projects at data centers (e.g., training electricians and pipefitters) and “advanc[ing] AI literacy and proficiency for students and workers.” In Sioux Falls, the Secretary observed Sanford Health’s own AI algorithm for colon‑cancer screening and virtual‑care technologies, but those medical AI tools are developed and run by Sanford Health, not the Labor Department. The release does not name particular AI products, apps, or training platforms that DOL itself is funding or deploying; it describes a policy focus on integrating AI awareness and skills into workforce and apprenticeship pathways.
Union Pacific’s Training Center and Harriman Dispatching Center use high‑fidelity simulations and hands‑on practice to prepare railroad workers. At the Training Center, trainees (such as future locomotive engineers) operate simulated locomotive and rail‑equipment controls that mimic real‑world train handling, allowing them to practice safely before working on actual trains. At the Harriman Dispatching Center—Union Pacific’s 24/7 network control hub—dispatchers train using computer‑aided dispatch systems and large screen displays that model the railroad’s network, signals, and train movements, helping them learn to route trains, manage traffic, and respond to incidents under realistic simulated conditions.