Instead of Excluding Construction from its Flawed New Apprenticeship System, Administration Should Have Made it Easier to Expand High-Quality Training Programs, Construction Officials Say
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the release today of the Administration’s final regulations governing its Industry Regulated Apprenticeship Program:
“It remains troubling that the administration has wasted so much time, energy and political capital in creating a new apprenticeship program that is both deeply flawed and fails to address construction workforce shortages. Instead of deciding to exclude construction, the administration should have found ways to make it easier to establish the kind of rigorous, high-quality, construction apprenticeship programs that exist in some, but far from every, part of the country.
“If the administration should ever seek to expand apprenticeship opportunities for construction, we urge it to ensure that all apprenticeships are set up on a level playing field. In particular, all apprenticeship programs should qualify for the same federal funding or be excluded from the same federal funding. The administration also needs to ensure that all apprenticeship programs are required to have equal rigor.
“Conversely, we think all apprenticeship programs should provide the same benefits and have equal opportunity to establish rigorous apprenticeship programs.