Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 11, 2019, as "National Apprenticeship Week".

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 703 Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 11, 2019, as ‘‘National Apprenticeship Week’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 14, 2019 Miss RICE of New York (for herself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. POCAN, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. BERA, Ms. WILSON of Flor- ida, Mr. KILMER, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. CRAIG, and Mr. COURTNEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of the week beginning November 11, 2019, as ‘‘National Apprenticeship Week’’. Whereas a highly skilled workforce is necessary to facilitate upward mobility, increase standards of living, create high-wage jobs, compete in the global economy, and sup- port economic growth; Whereas the national registered apprenticeship system estab- lished by the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 (29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.) (commonly known as the ‘‘Fitzgerald Act’’), which has existed for over 80 years— VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Nov 14, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR703.IH HR703 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 703 IH (1) creates career pathways to high-quality careers for working people in the United States; (2) offers a combination of academic and technical instruction and paid on-the-job experience; (3) provides working people with portable, nationally recognized, industry credentials that lead to higher earn- ing careers; and (4) develops a highly skilled workforce; Whereas registered apprenticeships— (1) are increasingly innovative and diverse in their design, their collaboration with local community partner- ships, and their use of emerging educational and training concepts including competency-based learning; (2) will continue to evolve to meet the emerging de- mands of a 21st century workforce; (3) are critical elements of an effective workforce de- velopment system and help individuals attain a recog- nized postsecondary credential, contributing to their per- sonal economic sustainability; and (4) maintain high-quality standards for apprentices; Whereas the national registered apprenticeship system can provide education and training for apprentices in— (1) high-growth sectors, including information tech- nology, financial services, advanced manufacturing, and health care; and (2) traditional industries including the building trades; Whereas, according to the Department of Labor, the national registered apprenticeship system leverages approximately $1,000,000,000 in private investment, largely in the con- struction industry, which reflects the strong commitment VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Nov 14, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR703.IH HR703 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 703 IH of the sponsors of the national registered apprenticeship system; Whereas the national registered apprenticeship system pro- vides employers— (1) skilled workers trained to industry and employer specifications to produce quality results; (2) reduced turnover; (3) a pipeline for new skilled workers and future managers; (4) reduced worker compensation costs due to an emphasis on safety training; (5) key soft skills such as improved employee en- gagement, greater problem-solving ability, flexibility to perform a variety of tasks, and a reduced need for super- vision; and (6) valuable contribution to output by apprentices; Whereas an evaluation of registered apprenticeship programs in 10 States conducted by Mathematica Policy Research in 2012 found that— (1) individuals who completed registered apprentice- ship programs earned over $240,000 more over their ca- reers than individuals who did not participate in reg- istered apprenticeship programs; (2) over the career of an apprentice, the estimated social benefits of registered apprenticeship programs ex- ceed the social costs by more than $49,000; and (3) the tax return on every dollar the Federal Gov- ernment invested in registered apprenticeship programs was $27; Whereas according to the Department of Labor— (1) nearly 600,000 new registered apprenticeships have been created since January 1, 2017; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Nov 14, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR703.IH HR703 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 703 IH (2) registered apprenticeships have a 94-percent placement rate at program completion; and (3) after apprenticeship completion, participants have an average salary of $70,000; and Whereas the celebration of National Apprenticeship Week— (1) honors industries that have mastered the reg- istered apprenticeship model; (2) encourages expansion of the registered appren- ticeship model into new industries; (3) recognizes the role the national registered ap- prenticeship system has played in preparing workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow; and (4) promotes conversation about ways the national registered apprenticeship system can continue to respond to workforce challenges in the 21st century: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Ap- 2 prenticeship Week’’; 3 (2) supports the expansion of apprenticeships in 4 in-demand industry sectors and occupations; 5 (3) increases awareness about the value of the 6 registered apprenticeship program model as an effec- 7 tive earn-and-learn model for students, workers, and 8 employers; 9 (4) supports the development and expansion of 10 effective pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to 11 success in a registered apprenticeship program; 12 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:00 Nov 15, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR703.IH HR703 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HRES 703 IH (5) supports a closer alignment between reg- 1 istered apprenticeship programs, the workforce de- 2 velopment system, career and technical education, 3 and postsecondary education, including institutions 4 of higher education; 5 (6) recognizes the importance of apprentice- 6 ships in developing a well-trained, highly skilled, and 7 more diverse workforce; and 8 (7) commends organizations and employers that 9 actively support apprenticeship programs. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Nov 14, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR703.IH HR703 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS