Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) addressed the House Floor to celebrate the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week. She called for stronger workforce development programs that will help job creators and increase apprenticeship opportunities in order to address the nation's skills gap.
Chairwoman Foxx's remarks (as prepared for delivery):
"I have good news and bad news to share as we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week.
"Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. The Biden-Harris administration has taken steps that would destroy the apprenticeship model: just look at the Department of Labor’s nearly 800-page proposed apprenticeship rule.
"This is irresponsible and reckless because we know apprenticeships are a proven strategy in closing the nation’s skills gap. With 8 million open jobs in the U.S., expanding apprenticeships will be critical to keep the American economy growing.
"Not only does the Department of Labor’s proposed apprenticeship rule blatantly circumvent Congress but, more to the point, it sets up a regulatory gauntlet that will limit employer and sponsor participation in apprenticeships. This will effectively close a route into the workforce for Americans seeking an alternative to a baccalaureate degree.
"Currently, registered apprenticeship programs in the United States constitute only 0.3 percent of the labor force, a significantly lower share than many other developed countries. Further, these apprenticeships have yet to gain a foothold in growing industries, like health care and information technology.
"One reason for this is that employers are discouraged from participating, and the NPRM only provides them with more reasons to stay away. Instead of buoying-up the sinking ship, the administration’s proposed rule smothers an already underutilized system with more red tape and one-size-fits all mandates.
"In fact, even President Biden seems to recognize that the rule will deter sponsors and employers from voluntary participation since he had to issue an executive order directing federal agencies to coerce job creators to subject their apprenticeship programs to federal control.
"What’s more, the proposed rule expands federal control over apprenticeships, injects political ideology and DEI mandates into the apprenticeship system, and imposes significant burdens on apprenticeship sponsors and employers.
"Here’s just one example of the NPRM’s expansion of control: it eliminates the competency-based model that currently permits registered apprenticeship programs to measure skill acquisition through the demonstrated attainment of competencies instead of the amount of time spent in on-the-job learning. Competency is increasingly becoming the currency of the labor market, as more employers are focusing on the skills a worker possesses, not how long it takes to acquire them. Why would the Department of Labor move apprenticeships in the opposite direction and eliminate the competency-based model, a model that has been referred to as the 'bread and butter' of apprenticeship expansion?
"The people most injured by the current administration’s regulatory overreach are American workers, who are eager to find routes to economic independence that avoid the ballooning costs and depreciating values of a baccalaureate degree.
"Now it’s time for the good news. Under the second Trump administration, Americans can look forward to an apprenticeship liberation that benefits students, workers, and job creators.
"In his previous administration, President Trump presided over a booming workforce that emphasized on-the-job learning, upskilling, and reskilling opportunities for American students and workers. His Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program was part of this success.
"Under the second Trump administration, we look forward to a renewal of this expansion of apprenticeship opportunities, which is so central to maintaining America’s economic leadership in the world.
"Job creators are on the front lines of their respective industries every day, and they understand the exact skills workers need to be successful. We should empower them to provide their workers with tools for success, and we look forward to doing so under the second Trump administration through the expansion of the apprenticeship system."
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