[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            APPRENTICESHIPS AND WORK-BASED LEARNING PROGRAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be on the floor this 
morning to introduce bipartisan legislation with my colleague on the 
Education and Workforce Committee, Congressman Drew Ferguson from 
Georgia.
  Our bill, Promoting Apprenticeships Through Regional Training 
Networks for Employers' Required Skills Act, or PARTNERS Act, will help 
close the skills gap by increasing opportunities for small- and medium-
sized businesses to establish apprenticeships and work-based learning 
programs.
  When I visit communities in northwest Oregon, I hear from many 
Oregonians who still feel left behind because they don't have the 
skills they need to compete in today's economy. They are not alone. 
Many jobs today do not require a 4-year degree, but do require more 
than a high school diploma. In fact, those jobs make up about 53 
percent of today's labor market, but only 43 percent of today's workers 
are trained at this level.
  This creates a skills gap, leaving businesses struggling to find 
workers with appropriate skills, and workers without meaningful 
pathways to better paying jobs.
  I hear from employers and workforce organizations about the 
importance of a qualified workforce. They want to identify new 
opportunities to strengthen skills training.
  Apprenticeships and work-based learning programs are a win-win. They 
provide individuals with paid, on-the-job training and classroom 
instruction. Employers can align training with the skills they need at 
their workplaces, and workers can learn while they earn.
  Unfortunately, small- and medium-sized businesses often lack the 
infrastructure and resources to establish apprenticeships or work-based 
learning programs on their own. So the PARTNERS Act addresses this by 
establishing a grant program to support the creation and expansion of 
industry and sector partnerships that will help small-and medium-sized 
businesses develop work-based learning programs and provide support 
programs for workers.
  Industry and sector partnerships will bring together employers, 
education, training, labor, and community-based organizations to 
develop work-based learning programs that benefit workers and the 
economy as a whole.
  In Oregon, these partnerships could address, for example, workforce 
development needs in rapidly growing sectors like healthcare and 
technology.
  Under the PARTNERS Act, the partnerships would use grant funds to 
recruit workers, develop training curriculum, and provide workers with 
access to tools, work attire, transportation, childcare services, and 
mentorship support. These support services help businesses retain 
employees and help workers balance caring for and providing for their 
families.
  Importantly, Mr. Speaker, this bill results in no additional cost to 
taxpayers because it authorizes the use of 50 percent of the funds 
deposited in the H1-B nonimmigrant petition account, and these will be 
used by the Department of Labor for the partnership grants. This 
funding source was suggested by the administration in a June 2017 
executive order on apprenticeships.
  Through stronger investments and work-based learning programs, we can 
build pathways to get more people back to work, to provide our Nation's 
businesses with the workforce that will improve productivity and 
efficiency.
  I thank Mr. Ferguson for his leadership, and I urge my colleagues to 
join us in supporting this bipartisan legislation that will help people 
in our districts across the country access good jobs.

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