[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 17, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 64059-64060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25191]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 17, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 64059]]


                Proclamation 10307 of November 12, 2021

                
National Apprenticeship Week, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For decades, Registered Apprenticeships have been a 
                reliable pathway to the middle class. Apprenticeships 
                train workers for good jobs and allow them to earn 
                while they learn. These educational experiences are 
                especially important for workers who did not attend 
                college, as they provide these workers with the type of 
                specialized training needed for the jobs of today and 
                tomorrow. During National Apprenticeship Week, we 
                highlight how this quality industry and worker-driven 
                training model provides a critical talent pipeline and 
                a means to strengthen our workforce and address our 
                Nation's pressing challenges--from rebuilding our 
                country's infrastructure to protecting against 
                cybersecurity threats.

                As we build our economy back better and continue to 
                fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the 
                especially important role apprenticeships play in 
                providing training to workers looking to re-enter the 
                workforce and young people who are seeking to enter the 
                work force--in each case providing an opportunity to 
                train and develop the skills needed for jobs of the 
                future while earning a good income.

                My Administration supports the expansion of Registered 
                Apprenticeships and the pathways they create to good 
                jobs and union representation. That is why I rescinded 
                an Executive Order that undermined Registered 
                Apprenticeship programs by promoting less rigorous 
                industry-recognized apprenticeships. To strengthen the 
                voice of our workers who have been central to 
                rebuilding our economy, my Administration reinstated 
                the longstanding National Advisory Committee on 
                Apprenticeships. Since apprenticeships are central to 
                supporting the investments made in the American Rescue 
                Plan and the Build Back Better Agenda, I have proposed 
                we invest in high-quality job training and Registered 
                Apprenticeships in fast-growing sectors like health 
                care, child care, advanced manufacturing, information 
                technology, and clean energy so that every American 
                receives the skills required by employers for good, 
                middle-class union jobs.

                My Administration also recently awarded nearly $100 
                million in State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity and 
                Innovation grants to bolster States' efforts to expand 
                programming and inclusive recruitment strategies. These 
                grants also aim to develop partnerships that ensure we 
                have a workforce ready to staff new industries and non-
                traditional occupations, including industry sectors hit 
                hardest by the pandemic. To facilitate the expansion of 
                Registered Apprenticeship programs, provide technical 
                assistance to these programs, and help small- and 
                medium-sized firms establish Registered 
                Apprenticeships, we also invested nearly $31 million 
                through cooperative agreements to establish four 
                Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Centers 
                of Excellence. The centers will also work with public 
                and private sector partners to expand opportunities in 
                Registered Apprenticeship programs for women, youths, 
                people of color, rural communities, justice-involved 
                individuals, and people with disabilities. The centers 
                are the culmination of a longstanding commitment to 
                expand access to apprenticeships for traditionally 
                underrepresented groups of workers and build on 
                existing strategies

[[Page 64060]]

                that include the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-
                Traditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program, now in 
                its 27th year.

                During National Apprenticeship week, we also commit to 
                ensuring that people from populations that have been 
                historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely 
                affected by persistent discrimination, poverty, and 
                inequality have an opportunity to participate in the 
                workforce. In particular, given the historic 
                underrepresentation of women in apprenticeship programs 
                and the impact of the pandemic on women's labor force 
                participation, there is even greater urgency to support 
                women's participation in Registered Apprenticeships.

                Together, and with strengthened Registered 
                Apprenticeships, we can build an even more successful, 
                competitive, and diverse workforce.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim 
                November 14 through November 20, 2021, as National 
                Apprenticeship Week. I urge the Congress, State and 
                local governments, educational institutions, industry 
                and labor leaders, apprentices, and all Americans to 
                support Registered Apprenticeship programs in the 
                United States of America and to raise awareness of 
                their importance in building a diverse and robust 
                workforce to strengthen our national economy.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-25191
Filed 11-16-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P