[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1219 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1219

 Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 8, 2020, as 
                   ``National Apprenticeship Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 12, 2020

 Miss Rice of New York (for herself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mrs. Davis 
of California, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Mrs. 
Hayes, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Crow) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 8, 2020, 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 Act of 
        August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ``National Apprenticeship Act''; 
        50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), which has existed for 
        over 80 years--

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

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

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

    (4) 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 mobility; 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, green energy, 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 and employer specifications to 
produce quality results;

    (2) reduced turnover;

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

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

    (5) key employability 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;

Whereas according to the Department of Labor--

    (1) nearly 700,000 new registered apprenticeships have been created 
since January 1, 2017;

    (2) registered apprenticeships have a 94-percent placement rate at 
program completion; and

    (3) after completion, registered apprenticeship participants have an 
average annual salary of $70,000; 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) encourages the creation of new opportunities for nontraditional 
apprenticeship populations like women and minorities;

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

    (5) 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 high-
        skill, high-wage, and 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 
        pre-apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship programs that lead 
        to success in a registered apprenticeship program;
            (5) supports increasing the diversity of participants in 
        the national registered apprenticeship system, including 
        through the support of intermediaries with recruitment and 
        retention;
            (6) supports a closer alignment between registered 
        apprenticeship programs, the workforce development system, 
        career and technical education, and secondary, postsecondary, 
        and adult education;
            (7) recognizes the importance of apprenticeships in 
        developing a well-trained, highly skilled, and more diverse 
        workforce; and
            (8) commends organizations and employers that actively 
        support registered apprenticeship programs.
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