[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    APPRENTICESHIPS PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE PATH TO HIGH-PAYING JOBS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bost). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this is a pretty 
incredible week here in Washington, D.C., an incredible week for the 
American people. When you look at the things that we accomplished this 
week, we have had historic tax reform--long overdue. This is a break 
for hardworking middle class American families. I encourage folks to 
check out the facts for themselves on exactly what happens.
  But it is not the only thing we have done. Already this week we have 
passed a conference report on the national defense authorization, the 
largest raise for our military in over 10 years, providing them the 
resources they need to be safe, to be effective, yes, to be lethal, and 
to be able to return home at the end of the day and to have their needs 
met.
  We did something that was very important for a State like 
Pennsylvania, where we have almost 90,000 miles of streams. We did 
historic flood insurance reform, where we really separated and looked 
inland, the needs there, versus mixing things together, allowing local 
municipalities, as long as they comply with the FEMA processes, to be 
able to really determine where the actual flood risk is. We haven't had 
that. In the past, it has all been done from Washington. It has been 
done rather poorly.
  But there is more than that. This week is also National 
Apprenticeship Week, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to highlight 
apprenticeships.
  Apprenticeships are a part of career and technological education as a 
pathway to family-sustaining careers and wages. Apprenticeships provide 
an alternative path to a high-paying job by providing opportunities to 
gain real-world skills while earning a paycheck.
  Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Career and Technical Education 
Caucus, I know that a huge skills gap exists in communities nationwide. 
There are good-paying jobs out there, but the unemployed are either ill 
prepared or lack the appropriate education to fill these vacancies.
  That is why I am proud the House did pass my legislation, the 
Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, 
earlier this year. It passed unanimously out of this body. The bill 
aims to close the skills gap by modernizing Federal investments in 
career and technical education programs by connecting educators with 
industry stakeholders. Career and technical education apprenticeship 
programs open the door for so many Americans.

  Proudly, President Trump signed an executive order earlier this year 
to expand apprenticeships and skills-based education programs that put 
more Americans back to work in the trades.
  We have seen too many students pushed down the college-for-all 
pathway that just doesn't work for some people. Obtaining an 
apprenticeship or career and technical education is a viable path that 
many high-achieving students can choose in pursuit of industry 
certifications and hands-on skills that they use right out of high 
school, in skills-based education programs, or should they choose, in 
college.
  Mr. Speaker, we have all met young people who haven't been inspired 
in a traditional classroom setting. We all know people who have lost 
jobs who are underemployed, working multiple part-time jobs, and they 
are looking desperately for good-paying, family-sustaining jobs. We all 
know people who are aspiring for a promotion but keep falling short 
year after year.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we all know families that have been trapped in 
poverty for generations. An apprenticeship can change that. A career 
and technical education can change that. Mr. Speaker, by the year 2020, 
it is estimated that more than 6 million jobs will go unfilled because 
of that skills gap of not having individuals who are qualified and 
trained to fill those positions.
  Mr. Speaker, the legislation that will be passed off this floor 
tomorrow--and I speak of that optimistically, with confidence--is 
estimated to lead to creating a confidence that will result, it has 
been estimated, in a million jobs being created.
  Through measures with career and technical education and measures 
such as apprenticeships, we can help Americans to be able to enter the 
workforce, to find that on-ramp to opportunity, to give everyone the 
opportunity to earn a good family-sustaining wage and have that 
security.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans deserve no less.

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