Frequently Asked Questions

In July 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) awarded nearly $162 million through five cooperative agreements as part of its Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program to support the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in critical industries. The program is designed to incentivize the growth of high-quality Registered Apprenticeship programs on a national scale.

Administered by Clark University, TechXcel is the information technology (IT) sector initiative within USDOL’s national Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program. The program provides incentive payments to eligible Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors that expand participation in approved IT occupations and meet established program requirements.

The Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program is 100 percent funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration through a cooperative agreement totaling $27,000,000.

TechXcel is designed to support growth in Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) within eligible information technology occupations by providing incentive payments for apprentices who meet program requirements.

Participation is open to eligible Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors operating approved programs that include information technology occupations.

Yes. Participating programs must be registered with either:

• The USDOL Office of Apprenticeship (OA); or
• A recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA).

No. Incentive payments are limited to occupations included on the approved TechXcel Eligible Occupation List.

Yes. Sponsors may include multiple Registered Apprenticeship Programs and multiple eligible occupations within their application.

Sponsors with newly registered apprenticeship programs may apply if they otherwise satisfy TechXcel eligibility requirements. Registered Apprenticeship Programs approved on or after July 1, 2026, are assigned a Substantial Growth Threshold (SGT) of zero, meaning all apprentices may be considered for incentive payments if all other program requirements are met.

Sponsors may apply through the TechXcel Sponsor Application.

The application collects information necessary to verify Sponsor eligibility, identify eligible occupations, and support future incentive payment administration.

The application may request information such as:

• Sponsor organization information
• Primary contact information
• Registered Apprenticeship Program information
• RAPIDS Program ID
• Approved occupation information
• Estimated number of apprentices expected to be submitted for incentive payments
• Supporting documentation

Sponsors may be asked to provide documentation sufficient to verify Registered Apprenticeship Program registration and approved occupations.

Examples may include:

• Standards of Apprenticeship
• Registration certificates
• Registration approval letters
• Equivalent SAA documentation
• Other supporting documentation via RAPIDS

Most applications are expected to be reviewed within approximately 5-10 business days of submission; however, actual timelines may vary depending on application volume, the completeness of submitted information, and whether additional documentation or clarification is required.

Sponsors will receive status updates throughout the review process and will be notified promptly if additional information is needed.

Approved Sponsors will be required to execute a Sponsor Agreement before becoming active participants in the program.

After the agreement is executed, Sponsors will receive information regarding payment setup, program participation requirements, and future payment requests.

TechXcel provides incentive payments of $6,000 per eligible apprentice.

No. Participation in TechXcel does not guarantee payment eligibility. Incentive payments are issued only after all applicable program requirements have been satisfied and verified.

The Substantial Growth Threshold (SGT) is the apprenticeship enrollment level a Sponsor must exceed before apprentices become eligible to be counted toward incentive payments.

The SGT is intended to encourage growth in Registered Apprenticeship Programs by rewarding Sponsors that expand participation beyond their historical apprenticeship activity levels.

For existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs, the SGT is calculated as 125% of the program’s median active apprentice count for an approved occupation. The median active apprentice count is calculated using historical apprenticeship data across 12 federal fiscal year quarters through June 30, 2026. Programs operating fewer than three years will have the median calculated using all available years of operation.

For example, if a Sponsor's median active apprentice count is 10 apprentices, the Sponsor's SGT would be 12.5 apprentices (10 × 125%). In this example, the Sponsor would need to exceed the SGT, meaning the 13th active apprentice and beyond would satisfy the growth threshold requirement and may be considered for incentive payment eligibility, provided all other program requirements are met.

No. For existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) calculates the SGT and provides it to TechXcel. Sponsors are not required to calculate the SGT themselves.

Newly Registered Apprenticeship Programs approved on or after July 1, 2026, are assigned an SGT of zero.

TechXcel will notify approved Sponsors of their SGT after eligibility has been reviewed and verified.

Sponsors are not expected to calculate or estimate the SGT during the application process.

A Sponsor is eligible for incentive payments only if the number of active apprentices in an approved occupation exceeds the Sponsor's established SGT.

For example:

• A Sponsor has a USDOL-established SGT of 15 apprentices.
• The Sponsor currently has 20 active apprentices in an approved occupation.
• Because the Sponsor exceeds its SGT by 5 apprentices (meeting the SGT requirement of 125%) up to 5 apprentices may be eligible for incentive payments, provided all other program requirements are met.

New Registered Apprenticeship Programs approved on or after July 1, 2026, are assigned an SGT of zero. As a result, all new apprentices may be counted toward incentive payment requests, provided all other program requirements are satisfied.

If an existing Registered Apprenticeship Program registers a new eligible occupation after July 1, 2026, the new occupation is assigned an SGT of zero. Apprentices enrolled in that newly added occupation may be considered for incentive payments if all other program requirements are met.

No. Once established, the SGT remains fixed for the duration of the program.

No. Exceeding the SGT is only one eligibility requirement.

TechXcel will verify payment eligibility at the time of each payment request. To be considered for an incentive payment:

• The Sponsor’s active apprentice count must exceed the SGT at the time of payment request;
• The apprentice must be enrolled in an approved occupation;
• The apprentice must have been enrolled in RAPIDS with a start date on or after July 1, 2026; and
• The apprentice must have been actively enrolled for at least 90 days.

Only apprentices who satisfy all requirements may be considered for incentive payments.

Once a Sponsor exceeds its SGT and an eligible apprentice has been enrolled in RAPIDS for at least ninety (90) days, the Sponsor may submit a payment request.

To be eligible for incentive payment consideration, an apprentice must have been enrolled in the Registered Apprenticeship program after July 1, 2026, in an IT registered apprenticeship occupation AND remain actively enrolled in the apprenticeship program for at least ninety (90) calendar days following the apprenticeship start date recorded in RAPIDS.

Approved Sponsors will submit payment requests through the TechXcel Sponsor Application. The Sponsor Application provides a secure online payment request module where Sponsors may identify eligible apprentices and submit the information required for payment review and verification.

The Sponsor Application will also allow Sponsors to track payment request activity, receive notifications regarding requests for additional information, and monitor the status of submitted payment requests.

Sponsors will receive instructions and access information for the payment request module after completing the onboarding process and executing the Sponsor Participation Agreement.

Sponsors will submit payment requests through the TechXcel Sponsor Application Payment Request Module.

At a minimum, payment requests will include the RAPIDS Apprentice ID for each apprentice being claimed. Additional information may be requested as needed to support payment review, verification, reporting, or compliance requirements.

TechXcel designated project staff will verify eligibility using approved data sources, including RAPIDS and the USDOL Demographics Portal. Verification activities may include confirming active apprentice counts, Substantial Growth Threshold (SGT) status, occupation eligibility, RAP registration status, and satisfaction of the 90-day enrollment requirement.

Generally, TechXcel will verify apprentice eligibility and the 90-day enrollment requirement using RAPIDS, the USDOL Demographics Portal, and other approved data sources. Sponsors should maintain supporting records related to apprentice enrollment and participation and provide additional information if requested during payment reviews.

Approved incentive payments will be issued electronically through the program's designated Payment Management System. Public Consulting Group (PCG), serving as the Payment Management System Operator (PMSO), will administer payment processing activities in support of Clark University and the TechXcel program.

Sponsors approved to participate in TechXcel will receive instructions for establishing a payment account and securely providing banking and Automated Clearing House (ACH) information through the designated payment management platform as part of the onboarding process.

Additional information regarding payment set up, payment schedules, and payment request procedures will be provided following Sponsor approval for participation.

RAPIDS (Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database System) is the system used by the U.S. Department of Labor and many State Apprenticeship Agencies to manage Registered Apprenticeship data.

TechXcel uses RAPIDS Apprentice IDs to verify apprenticeship enrollment and payment eligibility requirements.

Providing accurate Apprentice IDs helps streamline payment reviews and reduces administrative burden on Sponsors.

Sponsors should maintain records supporting participation in TechXcel, including apprenticeship enrollment information, payment requests, RAPIDS Apprentice IDs, supporting documentation, and any records necessary to support eligibility determinations, payment activities, or reporting requirements.

Yes. Sponsors should notify TechXcel at TechXcel@pcgus.com promptly of any significant changes to organizational information, contact information, Registered Apprenticeship Programs, or approved occupations submitted in the Sponsor Application.

Yes. Either party may terminate for cause or convenience. TechXcel reserves the right to suspend or terminate participation if program requirements are not met or if information provided by the Sponsor is determined to be inaccurate or incomplete. The Sponsor Agreement will provide additional termination information.

Sponsors may request reconsideration of certain program determinations in accordance with TechXcel's Appeals and Dispute Resolution procedures.

Additional information regarding the appeals process will be made available to participating Sponsors.

For questions regarding eligibility, applications, incentive payments, or participation requirements, please contact the TechXcel Program Team:

Email: For general program questions, please contact WorkforcePrograms@clarku.edu. For finance and payment-related inquiries, please contact TechXcelFinance@pcgus.com.

Website: https://techxcelclark.com/