[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6079-H6080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I have good news and bad news to share as we 
celebrate National Apprenticeship Week. Let's get the bad news out of 
the way first.
  The Biden-Harris administration has taken steps that would destroy 
the apprenticeship model. Just look at the Department of Labor's nearly 
800-page proposed apprenticeship rule.
  This is irresponsible and reckless because we know apprenticeships 
are a proven strategy in closing the Nation's skills gap. With 8 
million open jobs in the U.S., expanding apprenticeships will be 
critical to keep the American economy growing.
  Not only does the Department of Labor's proposed apprenticeship rule 
blatantly circumvent Congress, but more to the point, it sets up a 
regulatory gauntlet that will limit employer and sponsor participation 
in apprenticeships. This will effectively close a route into the 
workforce for Americans seeking an alternative to a baccalaureate 
degree.
  Currently, registered apprenticeship programs in the United States 
constitute only 0.3 percent of the labor force, a significantly lower 
share than many other developed countries. Further, these 
apprenticeships have yet to gain a foothold in growing industries like 
healthcare and information technology. One reason for this is that 
employers are discouraged from participating, and the NPRM only 
provides them with more reasons to stay away.
  Instead of buoying up the sinking ship, the administration's proposed 
rule smothers an already underutilized system with more red tape and a 
one-size-fits-all mandate. In fact, even President Biden seems to 
recognize that the rule will deter sponsors and employers from 
voluntary participation since he had to issue an executive order 
directing Federal agencies to coerce job creators to subject their 
apprenticeship programs to Federal control.
  What is more, the proposed rule expands Federal control over 
apprenticeships, injects political ideology and DEI mandates into the 
apprenticeship system, and imposes significant burdens on 
apprenticeship sponsors and employers.
  Here is just one example of the NPRM's expansion of control: It 
eliminates the competency-based model that currently permits registered 
apprenticeship programs to measure skill acquisition through the 
demonstrated attainment of competencies instead of the amount of time 
spent on the job learning. Competency is increasingly becoming the 
currency of the labor market as more employers are focusing on the 
skills a worker possesses, not how long it takes to acquire them.
  Why would the Department of Labor move apprenticeships in the 
opposite direction and eliminate the competency-based model, a model 
that has been referred to as the ``bread and butter'' of apprenticeship 
expansion?
  The people most injured by the current administration's regulatory 
overreach are American workers who are eager to find routes to economic 
independence that avoid the ballooning costs and depreciating values of 
a baccalaureate degree.
  Now it is time for the good news. Under the second Trump 
administration, Americans can look forward to an apprenticeship 
liberation that benefits students, workers, and job creators. In his 
previous administration, President Trump presided over a booming 
workforce that emphasized on-the-job learning, upskilling and 
reskilling opportunities for American students and workers. His 
industry-recognized work program was part of this success.
  Under the second Trump administration, we look forward to a renewal 
of this expansion of apprenticeship opportunities, which is so central 
to maintaining America's economic leadership in the world.
  Job creators are on the front lines of their respective industries 
every day, and they understand the exact skills workers need to be 
successful. We should empower them to provide their workers with tools 
for success, and we look forward to doing so under the second Trump 
administration through the expansion of the apprenticeship program.

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