[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 16, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8510-H8511]
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 week we celebrate the eighth annual 
National Apprenticeship Week. It is the perfect time to reflect on what 
is and what isn't working in our Nation's workforce development 
programs.
  There are more than 10 million unfilled jobs in this country and 
nearly 6 million unemployed individuals. There is clearly a crack in 
the education-to-workforce pipeline.
  The best way to address our country's skills gap and worker shortage 
is to promote workforce development programs that actually work.
  I have been encouraged to see many businesses coming up with their 
own workforce development programs. Time and again, employer-led 
programs prove to produce the best results.
  More industries are embracing apprenticeships as a solution for 
upskilling and re-skilling workers. As employers realize that 
baccalaureate degrees do not always prepare workers to fill needed 
roles, more alternative pathways will be needed.
  Many businesses are already removing unnecessary degree requirements 
and are, instead, replacing them with apprenticeship programs. This is 
a great development for our country and our workforce.
  Americans should not have to take out mountains of crushing student 
loan debt to study a subject that has nothing to do with their intended 
career, only to have to start from scratch once they enter the 
workforce.
  For too long, the college-for-all mentality has pushed young people 
into obtaining a baccalaureate degree, regardless of their intended 
career. This mentality is slowly shifting, and our country will be 
better off for it.
  Now that more young people are turning to apprenticeships, it is 
important to ensure that there are high-quality programs available.

[[Page H8511]]

  We need apprenticeship programs that prepare workers for the open 
positions today, not the positions that were open yesterday. We need 
cutting-edge programs. One-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best models 
are not the answer.
  While President Biden touts his support for apprenticeships, his 
cancellation of employer-led apprenticeship programs tell a different 
story. President Biden supports only apprenticeships he can control.
  Since terminating employer-led apprenticeship programs, the Biden 
administration has doubled down on support for the registered 
apprenticeship model.
  Because this system, founded in 1937, has not been substantially 
updated in eight decades, it is not easily adapted for innovative 
industries. Using this model to expand and modernize apprenticeships 
would be like starting on a journey on an already-leaking ship. We can 
push as hard as we want, but in the end, the vessel can only take us so 
far before we sink.
  It is time for a new system, one with employers in the driver's seat. 
Job creators know the tools workers need to be successful. Washington 
swamp dwellers, on the other hand, are clueless.

                              {time}  1015

  Why the Biden administration believes bureaucrats in Washington are 
more equipped to run apprenticeship programs than those on the ground 
is beyond me. It is no surprise that the vast majority of successful 
and thriving apprenticeship programs are led by private industry.
  Take Kentucky FAME, for example. The Kentucky Federation for Advanced 
Manufacturing Education is a partnership of regional manufacturers that 
creates a pipeline of highly skilled workers through an earn and learn 
program. By the time participants are done with this program, they will 
have an associate's degree, an advanced manufacturing technician 
credential, and years of work experience, all with no student loan 
debt.
  This organization operates in 12 States and has an 85 percent 
employment placement rate. This is an excellent workforce development 
model that other industries can learn from.
  The more employers embrace apprenticeships, the better off our 
economy will be. The best way for our workforce to thrive is for the 
Federal Government to get out of the way and for industry leaders to 
lead the way.
  So, for this National Apprenticeship Week, let's tell the Biden 
administration to stop putting special interests ahead of workers; 
let's recommit ourselves to empowering job creators to provide their 
own solutions; and let's support those jobseekers who want an 
opportunity to learn and earn at the same time.

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