Expanding Apprenticeships in America – Part 2

By Cotney Construction Law.

Many large construction companies are struggling to find young skilled workers to replace the millions of skilled workers in the construction industry that are set to retire within the next decade.

As such, it is crucial that we establish a new approach to recruit young people into the workforce. In this article we will focus on the educational sector and some alternative avenues to recruit young workers.  

President Trump’s administration seems to have little faith in the current federal work development programs, which led directly to Trump’s issuing of an executive order calling for the creation of apprenticeship programs in already established third-party entities. These third-party groups include  “trade and industry groups, companies, non-profit organizations, unions, and joint labor-management organizations.” According to the executive order, the Secretary of Labor shall govern the organizations that qualify to ensure that they are meeting requirements and to assist with effectively streamlining the apprenticeship process.

In order to promote these apprenticeships, the executive order calls for the Secretary of Labor to allocate funding towards high schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges. The goal is to increase the involvement of young people in apprenticeships by offering opportunities “in sectors that do not currently have sufficient apprenticeship opportunities.” The executive order calls for the Secretary of Education to implement these apprenticeship program as “courses of study” into community colleges and four-year universities.

The executive order also calls for expanding access to apprenticeships to include everyone from members of the United States military branches to persons not attending high school to current and formerly incarcerated people- all groups of young people not within the traditional educational sector.

To read the full article, please visit: Cotney Construction Law

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.