National Apprenticeship Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8294, the National Apprenticeship Act.

In my home state of Oregon and around the country, Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and youth apprenticeships are helping workers, particularly those with barriers to employment, access meaningful employment. This is even more important at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are out of a job because of the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, significant sectors of our economy are on the brink of transformation as the future of work evolves.

Recently I held a virtual roundtable discussion with apprentices, pre-apprentices, and union leaders from across Northwest Oregon. I heard from apprentices like Melissa who said that joining the Boilermakers Local 242 apprenticeship was a ``life-changing decision.'' And Lacy who said, ``I don't know where I would be or what I would be doing'' without her apprenticeship with Laborers Local 737, because it ``made it possible to pay my bills and feed my kid.'' By supporting the National Apprenticeship Act, we can strengthen investments in Registered Apprenticeships and help workers like Melissa and Lacy gain the skills and support services they need to be able to provide for themselves and their families.

Last month, I visited with apprentices at IBEW Local 48 in Portland, Oregon. Through a partnership with the National Electrical Contractors Association, IBEW's electrical apprenticeship program demonstrates how our transition to a clean energy economy provides an extraordinary opportunity to create good-paying jobs. Earlier this year, I joined my colleagues on the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in releasing a bold, comprehensive, science-based Climate Action Plan, which emphasizes the need to reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act as part of supporting the increasing demand for skilled workers in the clean energy sector. Efforts at the NECA/IBEW Local 48 Electrical Apprenticeship Training Program provide an excellent example of the need to protect and strengthen our Registered Apprenticeship system.

Industry partnerships can be one helpful tool in scaling up Registered Apprenticeships. For example, the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center, or OMIC, is bringing together industry leaders with educational institutions such as Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, and Portland Community College to develop a Registered Apprenticeship program in advanced manufacturing. My bipartisan Promoting Apprenticeships through Regional Training Networks for Employers' Required Skills Act is modeled on the efforts at OMIC to help small and medium sized businesses develop Registered Apprenticeships. The bill supports industry partnerships that bring together employers, education, training, labor, and community-based organizations to create paid, on-the-job training programs that meet the needs of employers and provide workers with important support services, like access to tools, work attire, transportation, child care, and mentorship support. I am grateful that Chair Davis incorporated many of our PARTNERS Act provisions in the National Apprenticeship Act.

Registered Apprenticeships provide meaningful upskilling and reskilling opportunities and supportive services for displaced and dislocated workers. I am pleased to be co-leading this important bill with Chair Davis to create nearly one million new Registered Apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship, and preapprenticeship positions over the next five years. I thank Chairman Scott and Chair Davis for their leadership, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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