[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 181 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9527-H9528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, this is National Apprenticeship Week and a 
good time to celebrate the renewed attention that apprenticeships have 
received from the Committee on Education and the Workforce and this 
administration.
  Apprenticeships are a centuries-old workforce development tool 
referenced as far back as the Bible. Nothing can prepare a student 
quite like the on-the-job experience, and apprenticeships are a tried 
and true method of preparing students to enter the workforce with the 
skills they need to succeed.
  We have a national skills gap with more than 7 million unfilled jobs 
in the country, and, for the seventh month running, the number of job 
openings has exceeded job seekers nationwide.
  A recent survey of U.S. employers showed that nearly half of all job 
creators struggle to hire employees with the right skills for the job, 
and, for the sixth year running, skilled trade jobs continue to be the 
hardest positions to fill all over the world.
  Apprenticeships are a wonderful solution to closing the skills gap 
and strengthening the workforce. We at the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce recognize this, and we have worked hard this Congress to 
make skills-based education a viable and valuable path for American 
workers.

  Over the course of the 115th Congress, we have made historic progress 
strengthening our workforce development efforts. For the first time, 
the committee reported postsecondary reform legislation that promotes 
apprenticeships as key postsecondary education opportunities.

[[Page H9528]]

  The PROSPER Act would improve student access to and participation in 
industry-led earn-and-learn programs and apprenticeships to allow 
students to hone their skills in a hands-on environment.
  This summer, we sent major, bipartisan CTE legislation to the 
President's desk. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for 
the 21st Century Act was the first legislation in more than a decade to 
modernize our Nation's CTE programs. The law will create innovative 
community partnerships while connecting Americans with programs to grow 
their skills and land in-demand industry jobs.
  We have also continued to see the ongoing implementation of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA. WIOA gives employers a 
seat at the table and encourages collaboration between local leaders as 
they work to create on-the-job learning opportunities.
  In September, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce 
Development heard from witnesses about how the law supports the 
development of locally based apprenticeship programs.
  The President has bolstered our efforts by listening to the needs of 
American workers. Since President Trump's first month in office, 
American employers have hired over 400,000 apprentices. In June of last 
year, the President issued an executive order creating a Task Force on 
Apprenticeship Expansion, and, earlier this year, the White House 
developed the Pledge to America's Workers. This groundbreaking 
initiative has resulted in over 160 companies and associations pledging 
jobs, education, and workforce development opportunities for more than 
6 million American workers.
  We made monumental strides over the course of the last 2 years, and 
we are continuing to look for innovative ways to connect effective 
education with in-demand jobs. Each of us knows a person with 
considerable gifts and talents who may not be suited for long-term 
postsecondary education. A baccalaureate degree is not the only pathway 
to a good-paying job. Apprenticeships are life changing and can provide 
countless Americans with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve 
lifelong success.
  Thanks to the leadership of this body and the administration, 
Americans have greater access than ever before to the opportunities 
they need to excel in the millions of good-paying, in-demand jobs 
available nationwide.

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