Submitted by Patrick Cassidy, Communications Director for Joe Courtney.
WASHINGTON, DC (Nov. 20, 2020) – Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) today voted to pass the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 (H.R. 8294). The bill would authorize more than $3.5 billion to create one million new apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years, and would make historic investments in workforce training to counter the sharp rise in unemployment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 would expand access to Registered Apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeship programs. It would also yield $10.6 billion in net benefits to U.S. taxpayers in the form of increased tax revenue and decreased spending on public-assistance programs and unemployment insurance.
Rep. Courtney is a senior member of the House Education and Labor Committee, and a co-sponsor of H.R. 8294. In September, after Courtney and the House Education and Labor Committee voted to approve H.R. 8294 during a legislative markup, Courtney penned an op-ed in the CT Mirror on how the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 would help provide much-needed employment opportunities during COVID-19. Click here to read more.
“The original National Apprenticeships Act, passed in 1937, has helped to buoy our nation through decades of transformational change in America’s economy and workforce,” said Congressman Courtney. “That original bill was introduced by my predecessor, former Congressman William Fitzgerald from Norwich. It’s long past time that Congress reinvest in these successful programs, and update them for the needs of the current workforce. Our effort to get the job done during COVID-19 couldn’t have come at a more crucial moment. The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 will help spur one million new apprenticeships for Americans looking to forge new opportunities, and it maintains the crown-jewel of Rep. Fitzgerald’s vision, which was to codify and enforce high-quality national standards that protect both the taxpayer and the workers to make sure the programs they’re enrolling in provide real results. Proud to pass this bill today, and to build on the work of our former Representative from Norwich.”
The National Apprenticeship Act—also known as the Fitzgerald Act—was originally crafted over 80 years ago by one of Rep. Courtney’s predecessors from Norwich: former U.S. Rep. William J. Fitzgerald. H.R. 8294 would update the National Apprenticeship Act for the first time since its enactment in 1937. The Fitzgerald Act was originally signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt, and it established national certification standards for apprenticeship programs that have opened pathways to high-quality jobs for more than eight decades. Under the Fitzgerald Act, Connecticut has built a highly successful Office of Apprenticeship Training which connects employers to apprentices under the Registered Apprenticeship Program for “earn as you learn” training in dozens of specialties.
The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 is endorsed by American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), Jobs for the Future (JFF), National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), National Skills Coalition (NSC), National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues (TWTF), North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), and Third Way.
To read the fact sheet on the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, click here.
To read the section by section on the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, click here.
