Committee Advances Landmark Legislation to Expand Registered Apprenticeships, Invest in Our Nation’s Workforce
WASHINGTON – Today, the Committee on Education and Labor voted to advance the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, which would invest more than $3.5 billion to create nearly one million new apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years. The legislation – which would update the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 for the first time since its enactment in 1937 – makes historic investments in workforce training to confront the sharp rise in unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent studies show that more than 7 million jobs will be permanently lost due to the public health crisis.
“There is no better time than now to invest in this proven program to help people get back to work as tens of millions of workers continue to receive unemployment checks each week,” said Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott during his opening statement. “The national apprenticeship system is well-suited to meet our current challenges. Apprentices begin earning wages on their first day of training and go on to develop in-demand skills and a nationally portable credential that is universally recognized by employers across the country.”
This legislation expands access to Registered Apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships. It would also yield $10.6 billion in net benefits to U.S. taxpayers in the form of increased tax revenue and decreased spending on public-assistance programs and unemployment insurance.
The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 is endorsed by American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), Jobs for the Future (JFF), National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), National Skills Coalition (NSC), National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues (TWTF), North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), and Third Way.
The legislation was voted out of Committee with unanimous support from Committee Democrats and unanimous opposition from Committee Republicans.
To read the fact sheet on the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, click here.
To read the section by section on the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, click here.
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