DeLauro Reintroduces American Apprenticeship Act

Statement

House Appropriations Committee and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today reintroduced the American Apprenticeship Act, a bill to provide funding to states for the creation or expansion of tuition assistance programs that benefit participants in pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs.

These programs help American workers gain skills that are in demand from a wide variety of employers and industries. By doing so, these programs ultimately provide these workers an opportunity to stay in the labor market and earn a living wage, all while pursuing a nationally recognized credential.

"Due to the pandemic, many workers lost their jobs and were forced to regain new skills to pivot into other industries," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "We must continue to support the American people in pivoting so they can earn enough to survive. One way to raise wages and reduce worker turnover is by investing in workers to help them gain the skills they need to fill good-paying jobs. The American Apprenticeship Act accomplishes this by giving workers the opportunity to earn a paycheck while learning skills that businesses and industries desperately need in their workforce. These programs also allow businesses to create a pipeline of skilled workers while improving their bottom line and global competitiveness--so workers win, businesses win, and our economy grows. The evidence is clear: apprenticeships are one of the most cost-effective workforce development tools."

The American Apprenticeship Act would:

Authorize the Department of Labor to award competitive grants to states that have developed effective strategies to diversify, market, and scale Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.
Authorize states to utilize grant funds to assist participants in Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in obtaining industry-relevant instruction.
Require the Department of Labor to analyze the use of apprenticeships for in-demand occupations.
Recognize that states play a pivotal role in elevating and expanding Registered Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships as workforce solutions.
Similar legislation has also been introduced in the Senate by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

The full text of the legislation is here.

Source