[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 622 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 622

Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 13, 2017, as 
                   ``National Apprenticeship Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 2017

 Miss Rice of New York (for herself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Nolan, 
Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Pocan, Mr. 
    Norcross, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Mrs. 
  Lawrence, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Carbajal, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. 
 Moulton, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Bera, Ms. Adams, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Takano, 
    and Ms. Hanabusa) submitted the following resolution; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 13, 2017, as 
                   ``National Apprenticeship Week''.

Whereas a highly skilled workforce is necessary to facilitate upward mobility, 
        increase standards of living, create high-wage jobs, compete in the 
        global economy, and support economic growth;
Whereas the national registered apprenticeship system established by the 
        National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 (29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.) (commonly 
        known as the ``Fitzgerald Act''), which has existed for over 80 years--

    (1) in 2016, enabled 21,000 registered apprenticeship programs to offer 
registered apprenticeship training to approximately 505,000 apprentices;

    (2) creates career pathways to high-quality careers for working people 
in the United States;

    (3) offers a combination of academic and technical instruction and paid 
on-the-job experience;

    (4) provides working people with portable, nationally recognized, 
industry credentials that lead to higher earning careers; and

    (5) develops a highly skilled workforce;

Whereas registered apprenticeships--

    (1) are increasingly innovative and diverse in their design, their 
collaboration with local community partnerships, and their use of emerging 
educational and training concepts including competency-based learning;

    (2) will continue to evolve to meet the emerging demands of a 21st 
century workforce;

    (3) are critical elements of an effective workforce development system 
and help individuals attain a recognized postsecondary credential, 
contributing to their personal economic sustainability; and

    (4) maintain high-quality standards for apprentices;

Whereas the national registered apprenticeship system can provide education and 
        training for apprentices in--

    (1) high-growth sectors, including information technology, financial 
services, advanced manufacturing, and health care; and

    (2) traditional industries including the building trades;

Whereas according to the Department of Labor, the national registered 
        apprenticeship system leverages approximately $1,000,000,000 in private 
        investment, largely in the construction industry, which reflects the 
        strong commitment of the sponsors of the national registered 
        apprenticeship system;
Whereas the national registered apprenticeship system provides employers--

    (1) skilled workers trained to industry/employer specifications to 
produce quality results;

    (2) reduced turnover;

    (3) a pipeline for new skilled workers and future managers;

    (4) reduced worker compensation costs due to an emphasis on safety 
training;

    (5) key soft skills such as improved employee engagement, greater 
problem-solving ability, flexibility to perform a variety of tasks, and a 
reduced need for supervision; and

    (6) valuable contribution to output by apprentices;

Whereas an evaluation of registered apprenticeship programs in 10 States 
        conducted by Mathematica Policy Research in 2012 found that--

    (1) individuals who completed registered apprenticeship programs earned 
over $240,000 more over their careers than individuals who did not 
participate in registered apprenticeship programs;

    (2) over the career of an apprentice, the estimated social benefits of 
registered apprenticeship programs exceed the social costs by more than 
$49,000; and

    (3) the tax return on every dollar the Federal Government invested in 
registered apprenticeship programs was $27; and

Whereas the celebration of National Apprenticeship Week--

    (1) honors industries that have mastered the registered apprenticeship 
model;

    (2) encourages expansion of the registered apprenticeship model into 
new industries;

    (3) recognizes the role the national registered apprenticeship system 
has played in preparing workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow; and

    (4) promotes conversation about ways the national registered 
apprenticeship system can continue to respond to workforce challenges in 
the 21st century: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National Apprenticeship 
        Week'';
            (2) supports the expansion of apprenticeships, in in-demand 
        industry sectors and occupations;
            (3) increases awareness about the value of the registered 
        apprenticeship program model as an effective earn-and-learn 
        model for students, workers, and employers;
            (4) supports the development and expansion of effective 
        preapprenticeship programs that lead to success in a registered 
        apprenticeship program;
            (5) supports a closer alignment between registered 
        apprenticeship programs, the workforce development system, 
        career and technical education, and postsecondary education, 
        including institutions of higher education;
            (6) recognizes the importance of apprenticeships in 
        developing a well-trained, highly skilled, and more diverse 
        workforce; and
            (7) commends organizations and employers that actively 
        support apprenticeship programs.
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