[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 206 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49681-49682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23305]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Notice of the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion Charter 
Establishment and Public Meeting

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor is publishing this notice to announce 
the establishment of a Charter for the Task Force on Apprenticeship 
Expansion (hereinafter ``the Task Force'' or ``the panel''), a non-
discretionary federal advisory committee authorized pursuant to section 
8 of Executive Order 13801, entitled ``Expanding Apprenticeships in 
America'' (hereinafter ``the Executive Order''), which was issued on 
June 15, 2017 (82 FR 28229) and which directed the Secretary of Labor 
to establish and chair such a panel in the Department of Labor and to 
provide notice, pursuant to section 10 of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), of the initial public meeting of the Task Force 
to be held on November 13, 2017.

DATES: The initial public meeting of the Task Force will begin at 
approximately 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Labor, 
Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20210. The Department will post any updates regarding the agenda and 
meeting logistics to the Task Force Web site: https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/task-force.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John V. Ladd, Administrator, 
Office of Apprenticeship, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210, 
Telephone: (202) 693-2796 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Task Force Charter

    The Task Force has been established in accordance with the 
provisions of FACA, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, and its implementing 
regulations (41 CFR 101-6 and 102-3). Interested parties can obtain the 
Task Force's charter on the Task Force Web site: https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/task-force.htm. The Task Force is charged with the 
mission of identifying strategies and proposals to promote 
apprenticeships, especially in sectors where apprenticeship programs 
are

[[Page 49682]]

insufficient. Upon completion of this assignment, the Task Force shall 
submit to the President of the United States a final report detailing 
these strategies and proposals. Pursuant to the Executive Order and the 
charter, the report must specifically address the following four 
topics:
     Federal initiatives to promote apprenticeships;
     Administrative and legislative reforms that would 
facilitate the formation and success of apprenticeship programs;
     The most effective strategies for creating industry-
recognized apprenticeships; and
     The most effective strategies for amplifying and 
encouraging private-sector initiatives to promote apprenticeships.
    The Task Force is solely advisory in nature, and will consider 
testimony, reports, comments, research, evidence, and existing 
practices as appropriate to develop recommendations for inclusion in 
its final report to the President. While the Executive Order did not 
set forth a definite time by which the panel must complete its 
development of apprenticeship-related strategies and proposals and 
submit its final report to the President, it is important to note that 
the Task Force will not be continuing in nature. Additionally, given 
the nature and mission of the Task Force, some of the meeting 
proceedings could be included in a regulatory docket for an 
apprenticeship rulemaking, or other collection of documents made 
available by the agency for public viewing. Pursuant to both the 
Executive Order and the Charter, the Task Force shall terminate 30 days 
after it submits its final report to the President.
    Under both the Executive Order and the Charter, the Secretary of 
Labor shall serve as the Chair of the Task Force. The Secretaries of 
Education and Commerce shall serve as Vice-Chairs of the Task Force. 
The Secretary of Labor has appointed the representative members of the 
Task Force, which consists of twenty (20) individuals who work for or 
represent the perspectives of trade and industry groups, companies, 
workforce advocacy organizations, unions, joint labor-management 
organizations, educational institutions, state or local governments, 
and such other persons as the Secretary of Labor may from time to time 
designate. These members include distinguished citizens from outside of 
the Federal Government with relevant experience concerning the 
development of a skilled workforce through quality apprenticeship 
programs. Pursuant to the Executive Order and the charter, a member of 
the Task Force may designate a senior member of his or her organization 
to attend any Task Force meeting. Members of the Task Force shall serve 
without compensation for their work on the Task Force, but shall be 
allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, to 
the extent permitted by law for persons serving intermittently in the 
Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701--5707), consistent with the 
availability of funds. Each member of the Task Force shall serve at the 
pleasure of the Secretary of Labor for a term that will cease 30 days 
after the delivery of the panel's final report to the President, at 
which time the Task Force will be disbanded officially.

II. Initial Public Meeting of the Task Force

    In order to promote openness, and increase public participation, a 
viewing room will be made available for members of the public to 
observe the meeting proceedings. Registration is required. Instructions 
on how to register are listed below and will be posted prominently on 
the Task Force Web site: https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/task-force.htm. Members of the public that will view the meeting in-person, 
from the viewing room, are encouraged to arrive early to allow for 
security clearance into the U.S. Department of Labor, Frances Perkins 
Building.

Security and Transportation Instructions for Frances Perkins Building

    Meeting participants should use the visitor's entrance to access 
the Frances Perkins Building, one block north of Constitution Avenue on 
3rd and C Streets NW. For security purposes:
    1. Visitors must present valid photo identification (ID) to receive 
a visitor badge.
    2. Visitors must know the name of the event you are attending: the 
meeting event is the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion meeting.
    3. Visitor badges are issued by the security officer at the Visitor 
Entrance located at 3rd and C Streets NW., as described above.
    4. Laptops and other electronic devices may be inspected and logged 
for identification purposes.
    5. Due to limited parking options, Metro rail is the easiest way to 
travel to the Frances Perkins Building. For individuals wishing to take 
metro rail, the closest metro stop to the building is Judiciary Square 
on the Red Line.

Notice of Intent To Attend the Meeting:

    All members of the public are being asked to register for the Task 
Force meeting by Tuesday, November 7, 2017, via the public registration 
Web site using the following link: https://secure.thegateam.com/dol-aetf-reg/. Additionally, if individuals have special needs and/or 
disabilities that will require special accommodations, please send an 
email to [email protected], subject line ``Special 
Accommodations for the November 2017 Task Force Meeting'' no later than 
Tuesday, November 7, 2017.
    The tentative agenda for this meeting includes the following:

 Strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships
 Federal initiatives to promote apprenticeships
 Administrative and legal reforms
 Effective strategies for creating industry-recognized 
apprenticeships
 Effective strategies for amplifying and encouraging private-
sector initiatives
 Adjourn

    Any member of the public who wishes to provide a written statement 
should send an email to [email protected], subject line 
``Public Comment November 2017 Task Force Meeting.''
    The agenda and meeting logistics may be updated between the time of 
this publication and the scheduled date of the Task Force meeting. All 
meeting updates will be posted to the Task Force Web site: https://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/task-force.htm.

Nancy M. Rooney,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-23305 Filed 10-25-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FR-P