National Apprenticeship Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 447.
Apprenticeships are well recognized as a way to help local economies grow by providing career opportunities for young people. However, the current national apprenticeship system does not adequately support the creation of apprenticeships in the Marianas and other insular areas. That inequity ends today.
H.R. 447 incorporates my bill, the Outlying Area Apprenticeship Expansion Act, which I introduced in the last Congress. My bill provides $2.5 million over 5 years for the Marianas to create and expand apprenticeships, and it provides more than $11.2 million for the insular areas in total.
Our island schools already equip students with the skills employers seek. With these additional funds and participation in the national apprenticeship program, we will be able to build that connection between what was learned in the classroom and real-world work. With widespread unemployment due to the coronavirus, that link is needed now more than ever.
I thank Chairman Scott for including the outlying areas in this program and for his work to update this law first enacted in 1937.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a statement from the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers. [From AWFS, Jan. 29, 2021] AWFS Stands in Support of National Apprenticeship Act of 2021
Anaheim, CA.--The Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers
``Our industry, comprised primarily of small businesses, is experiencing a skills gap,'' says AWFS Executive Vice President Angelo Gangone. ``We need to utilize all tools and resources available to us to attract and train new talent, including apprenticeships.''
The expanded opportunities to Registered Apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships made available through the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 will help small wood manufacturers who lack the capacity to create an apprenticeship on their own. Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA- 3), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor has introduced the bill (H.R. 447), an amendment of the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937. According to Rep. Scott, the Act ``will begin to bring America's investments in apprenticeship more in line with countries around the world'' as ``our peer industrialized nations spend roughly six times as much as a share of GDP on apprenticeships as the U.S.''
``There are multiple successful U.S. apprenticeship models comprised of companies collaborating together and with local school and community partners.'' says Gangone. ``This is a critical element that will help us solve the workforce gap and strengthen our industry into the future.'' The Act's encouragement for employers, industry associations, labor and joint labor-management organizations, education and training providers, credential providers, and apprentices to work together to establish and expand apprenticeships will have a meaningful impact on the skilled workforce and the future of industry careers.
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