[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17039-17040]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my

[[Page 17040]]

good friend, co-chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, Mr. 
Langevin from Rhode Island, for his leadership and his remarks. I also 
rise in recognition of National Apprenticeship Week, which runs through 
this Saturday.
  Training and support for those looking to enter vocational fields is 
something that is very important to me, as co-chairman of the 
bipartisan Career and Technical Education Caucus. It is essential that 
we give our workers the training and resources that they need to secure 
family-supporting jobs.
  Apprenticeships are a vital part of this effort to help workers 
prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, along with the in-demand positions 
that are currently going unfilled. According to the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, the industries which rely on apprenticeship training are in 
demand, including a huge need for certified electricians, construction 
workers, and those in the health technology fields. More than 430,000 
Americans are currently participating in an apprenticeship program, 
gaining the knowledge to rise to the demands of today's workforce.
  Mr. Speaker, these programs give workers hands-on experience and lead 
to much higher lifetime earnings for those that participate.

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