EARN Newsletter: February 2026

Plus: National Apprenticeship Week 2026 theme announced, webinar recordings, and more!

EARN in Action

Supporting the Mental Well-Being of Gen Z Workers

As more members of Generation Z join the workforce, they bring a greater emphasis on mental health, well-being, and work-life balance. To attract top young talent from this generation, employers are increasingly taking proactive steps to foster a supportive workplace—and finding that doing so actually benefits employees of all ages and the organization as a whole. EARN’s “Learning Guide: Supporting the Mental Well-Being of Gen Z Workers” provides strategies and resources that can help.

Addressing Worker Mental Health in Construction

Earlier this month, EARN team members attended the Construction Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference in Portland, Oregon. They heard from mental health professionals, employers, and workers about specific challenges the industry faces in supporting workers’ mental health. Now in its fifth year, the annual event aims to build community within the industry to prevent suicide and substance use disorder and promote mental health, recovery, and overall well-being.

In Case You Missed It

Unleashing Value and Talent: JAN and EARN Resources for Today’s Workforce

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) advances career opportunities and economic mobility for Americans with disabilities. One of its key strategies is funding programs and centers, such as EARN, to provide employers with practical resources for putting policy into practice. On February 12, EARN and the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), another ODEP-funded technical assistance resource, joined forces to present a webcast highlighting ways they can help employers tap into the value and talent Americans with disabilities bring to the workplace.

The Latest

National Apprenticeship Week 2026

DOL announced that National Apprenticeship Week 2026 will take place from April 26 to May 2. This annual celebration showcases how Registered Apprenticeship programs advance worker mobility and meet employers’ workforce needs by preparing Americans for jobs in high-growth, high-demand industries, including manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure. This year’s theme is “America at Work: Making America Skilled Again Through Registered Apprenticeship.”

Celebrating Value and Talent to Strengthen America’s Infrastructure Workforce

An article in a recent issue of Infrastructure, the magazine of the Associated General Contractors of Texas, highlights disability employment in the context of the 2025 National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” and America’s 250^th anniversary. The article references EARN and JAN and connects both to the construction and infrastructure industries, “which are and always have been the backbone of America’s economy, yet today face critical workforce shortages.”

Ask EARN

Spotlight

Effective Workplace Mental Health Programs

Successful workplace mental health programs start with what works. One of the most effective ways to launch or strengthen a mental health initiative is to look at real-world examples from employers of similar size or structure. EARN’s “Workplace Mental Health Toolkit” includes this webpage highlighting proven programs and strategies implemented by organizations, including Duke University, Deloitte, Merck, and EY, offering practical insights employers can adapt to their own workforce needs.

EARN is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy under Cooperative Agreement No. 23475OD000002-01-00 with Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, in the amount of $10,000,000 (five-year total amount).

The content in this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.