National Apprenticeship Week

Floor Speech

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Apprenticeships are a centuries-old workforce development tool referenced as far back as the Bible. Nothing can prepare a student quite like the on-the-job experience, and apprenticeships are a tried and true method of preparing students to enter the workforce with the skills they need to succeed.

We have a national skills gap with more than 7 million unfilled jobs in the country, and, for the seventh month running, the number of job openings has exceeded job seekers nationwide.

A recent survey of U.S. employers showed that nearly half of all job creators struggle to hire employees with the right skills for the job, and, for the sixth year running, skilled trade jobs continue to be the hardest positions to fill all over the world.

Apprenticeships are a wonderful solution to closing the skills gap and strengthening the workforce. We at the Committee on Education and the Workforce recognize this, and we have worked hard this Congress to make skills-based education a viable and valuable path for American workers.

Over the course of the 115th Congress, we have made historic progress strengthening our workforce development efforts. For the first time, the committee reported postsecondary reform legislation that promotes apprenticeships as key postsecondary education opportunities.

The PROSPER Act would improve student access to and participation in industry-led earn-and-learn programs and apprenticeships to allow students to hone their skills in a hands-on environment.

This summer, we sent major, bipartisan CTE legislation to the President's desk. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act was the first legislation in more than a decade to modernize our Nation's CTE programs. The law will create innovative community partnerships while connecting Americans with programs to grow their skills and land in-demand industry jobs.

We have also continued to see the ongoing implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA. WIOA gives employers a seat at the table and encourages collaboration between local leaders as they work to create on-the-job learning opportunities.

In September, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development heard from witnesses about how the law supports the development of locally based apprenticeship programs.

The President has bolstered our efforts by listening to the needs of American workers. Since President Trump's first month in office, American employers have hired over 400,000 apprentices. In June of last year, the President issued an executive order creating a Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion, and, earlier this year, the White House developed the Pledge to America's Workers. This groundbreaking initiative has resulted in over 160 companies and associations pledging jobs, education, and workforce development opportunities for more than 6 million American workers.

We made monumental strides over the course of the last 2 years, and we are continuing to look for innovative ways to connect effective education with in-demand jobs. Each of us knows a person with considerable gifts and talents who may not be suited for long-term postsecondary education. A baccalaureate degree is not the only pathway to a good-paying job. Apprenticeships are life changing and can provide countless Americans with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve lifelong success.

Thanks to the leadership of this body and the administration, Americans have greater access than ever before to the opportunities they need to excel in the millions of good-paying, in-demand jobs available nationwide.

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