Sarbanes Votes to Expand Apprenticeship Programs and Create More Than One Million Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today voted to pass the National Apprenticeship Act (H.R. 447), a bipartisan bill to expand access to apprenticeship programs and to create more than one million new jobs for American workers.

"These critical investments in apprenticeship programs will help provide cutting-edge workforce training and directly connect Americans with stable, in-demand and good-paying jobs," said Congressman Sarbanes, a longtime proponent of apprenticeship programs who co-sponsored and championed the bill. "Importantly, the National Apprenticeship Act pays special attention to diversifying our nation's workforce by unlocking career opportunities for communities of color and underserved populations in every corner of the country."

Key provisions of the bill include:

• Creating and expanding registered pre-apprenticeship programs, youth apprenticeship programs and apprenticeship programs, including in non-traditional occupations and for nontraditional populations;
  
• Encouraging employers to participate in apprenticeship programs and to recruit individuals with barriers to employment, including Americans impacted by the criminal justice and juvenile justice system;
  
• Supporting national industry and equity intermediaries, and intermediaries at the regional or local level;
  
• Aligning educational opportunities with programs under the national apprenticeship system;
  
• Streamlining standards for registered youth apprenticeship programs, pre-apprenticeship programs and apprenticeship programs, including requirements for apprenticeship agreements and program registration; and
  
• Codifying the Office of Apprenticeship to increase promotion and awareness of apprenticeship programs, bring together industry sector leaders and experts to establish national frameworks for industry-recognized apprenticeship-driven occupations, improve publicly available information about apprenticeship programs and establish the National Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships.
  

See here for a fact sheet on the National Apprenticeship Act.

See here for a section-by-section breakdown of the bill.

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