President Donald Trump has become an enthusiastic proponent of using apprenticeships to provide people with on-the-job career training. He is right on target in that, as long as federal bureaucrats do not choke the life out of the idea.

Billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on job training programs of all sorts. Too often, someone in Washington decides laid-off workers ought to be retrained in skills that are in limited or no demand in the private sector.

Trump wants institutions of higher learning and companies to play major roles in expansion of apprenticeship programs.

Earlier this month, he signed an executive order doubling the amount of federal funding for apprenticeship initiatives. The $200 million investment envisioned could make a real difference.

But in signing the order, Trump emphasized he wants apprenticeships to be designed by the private sector. Involvement by the Labor Department would be limited to providing broad guidelines.

Too often in government, “broad” is in the eye of the bureaucrat, however. The president is right to insist on control by the private sector. He should assign a White House aide to ensure the Labor Department does not attempt to micromanage the program into the ground.