Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed Executive Order #1, ordering state agencies to prioritize the development of youth apprenticeship programs across the state.
Led by the Delaware Department of Education, Executive Order #1 establishes a statewide working group consisting of at least 15 members from across labor, educational, and nongovernmental sectors, with the ultimate goal of developing proposed processes and policies to expand youth apprenticeships and workforce development across the state.
“If we’re serious about educating our kids, then we need to be serious about the opportunities we want them to have,” said Gov. Meyer. “Workforce development programs for youth are integral to growing Delaware’s economy in a way that all families can prosper. This executive order aims to improve access to apprenticeships so we can better prioritize the needs of working families, invest in our children’s futures, and ensure we’re building an efficient and sustainable 21st-century economy.”
Governor Meyer is committed to using the full power of his office to bring meaningful change to Delaware. The order will implement immediate, actionable measures that aim to reform how the state prepares youth for the jobs of tomorrow. By bringing stakeholders from across Delaware to the table, Gov. Meyer is laying the foundation for a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous Delaware for generations to come.

Gov. Meyer is a former public school math teacher and small business owner who served as New Castle County Executive from 2017 through January 2025. Growing up in Delaware, he attended schools in the Brandywine School District, followed by Wilmington Friends School, and then studied Computer Science & Political Science at Brown University. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he learned Swahili and created Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents. He subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, as a diplomat embedded with the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.