[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 183 (Friday, November 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               EXPAND REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS

  (Ms. BONAMICI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, it is National Apprenticeship Week.
  In Oregon and around the country, registered apprenticeships and pre-
apprenticeships are helping people access good-paying jobs, improving 
economic security, and increasing opportunities for women, people of 
color, and dislocated workers.
  Last week I met with more than 30 apprentices and union leaders at 
the UA 290 Training Center in Tualatin, Oregon. Their stories are 
inspiring. I heard from apprentices like Sade with Steamfitters Local 
290, who said, ``I love what I do, and people who look like me coming 
into these spaces matters.''
  Jackie, who was once incarcerated, is now helping others overcome 
barriers and enter the workforce. She said IBEW ``gave me a chance.''
  In discussing the Constructing Hope Pre-Apprenticeship Training 
Program, Sarah, a single mom, said that, without it, ``I would never be 
here providing a better life for my kids and myself.''
  During National Apprenticeship Week, I say to all of my colleagues, 
join me. Let's work together to protect and expand registered 
apprenticeship programs to provide workers with quality training, 
portable credentials, high wages, support services, and a pathway to a 
permanent job.
  These programs do more than train a workforce; they change lives for 
the better.

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