[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9676 of November 10, 2017

National Apprenticeship Week, 2017

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During National Apprenticeship Week, we recognize the important role
apprenticeships play in unleashing the American workforce. Americans are
known for our remarkable productivity, industriousness, and

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innovative thinking. By pairing these valued traits with the right
training, our Nation can renew one of our greatest assets--the American
worker.
Affordable education options and training opportunities that lead to
stable, well-paying jobs are critical for the health and well-being of
our families and communities. Our Nation's existing higher education
system, however, does not always provide the right forms of training.
According to a recent survey, only 11 percent of employers strongly
agreed that America's institutions of higher education are teaching
graduates the skills their companies need.
At the same time, the cost of college is rising, putting it out of reach
for many and burdening others with increasing amounts of student debt.
Those in the class of 2015 who borrowed to finance their education
graduated with nearly $30,000 in student debt, on average. During the
past administration, the stagnation of wages, which increased by less
than six-tenths of 1 percent per year, and education costs that
ballooned by more than 20 percent, prevented too many Americans from
getting the skills they need to thrive in today's workforce.
Apprenticeships provide an alternative path to a high-paying job by
providing opportunities to gain real-world skills while earning a
paycheck. In addition, research suggests that graduates of
apprenticeship programs earn $300,000 more throughout their lifetime
than non-apprentices working in the same field. Because new jobs in our
21st century economy--from healthcare to advanced manufacturing--demand
technical skills, apprenticeship programs are uniquely able to provide
the affordable and relevant training workers need to fill in-demand jobs
throughout the economy.
My Administration has taken important steps to promote and expand
apprenticeships. The Department of Labor is fully implementing my
Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeships in America, which directs
it to work with other Federal departments and agencies to make it easier
for companies to create and grow apprenticeship programs. It also
directs the agencies to explore ways to support the development of
apprenticeships in industries where the earn-and-learn model has been
historically underutilized, including in key sectors such as
manufacturing, healthcare, cybersecurity, and information technology.
This week, I challenge businesses, educational institutions, and
government entities to expand apprenticeship opportunities and other
quality job-training programs to help open more doors for more
Americans. As we put the education and training of our people first,
American companies will join us by rededicating their efforts to hire
American. Together, we will build an even stronger workforce and provide
new and exciting opportunities for generations of Americans to learn,
earn, and succeed.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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, do hereby proclaim November 13 through
November 19, 2017, as National Apprenticeship Week.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of

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the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
forty-second.
DONALD J. TRUMP